CDE4Peace

A promising tool for experimental research in the field of EU conflict prevention and peacebuilding is  “Concept development and experimentation” (CD&E) which gained ground in NATO throughout the last 20  years. Drawing upon the NATO approach, the CDE4Peace project has developed an analytical framework for  CD&E as a policy tool for EU peacebuilding and distilled the main policy-relevant findings and  recommendations from the project. 

Background 

CD&E is defined as a combination of methods and tools that drives NATO’s transformation by enabling the  structured development of creative and innovative ideas into viable solutions. The principal research objective  of the CDE4Peace project was to explore the potential of Concept development and experimentation for  enhancing the EU’s conflict prevention and peacebuilding policy. CDE4Peace research aimed at defining  actionable policy recommendations for implementing the CD&E methodology and tools in the complex EU  policy-making process. In this regard, the CDE4Peace project has developed an analytical framework for CD&E  as a policy tool and distilled the main policy-relevant findings and recommendations from the project. 

Summary 

The document is structured as follows: 

• Analytical framework 
• Strategic concepts for EU conflict prevention and peacebuilding 
• Operational concepts for EU conflict prevention and peacebuilding 
• Available and emerging CD&E tools 
• Potential of a CD&E tool for the EU’s conflict prevention and peacebuilding policy • Conclusions 

The policy recommendations seek to contribute to the improvement of EU policy-making in the area of conflict  prevention and peacebuilding from a research-based CD&E methodological perspective. The project’s  interdisciplinary methodology is credible for linking the academic and policy analysis on EU conflict prevention  and peacebuilding with experimental research and CD&E in particular. 

Key Recommendations 

Based on the project’s research findings five key policy recommendations can be drawn:  

1. The European Union must develop its own capabilities for Concept development and experimentation,  independent from NATO and aimed at achieving the EU’s strategic autonomy.  
2. The European Union’s integrated civil-military CD&E should be institutionalized within the European  Commission which has the resources needed for mainstreaming and prioritising CD&E as a policy  process and methodology. 
3. The EU should integrate CD&E methods such as exercise-based experiments and concept testing into  the EU’s strategic concept development process.
4. CD&E methods such as exercises, modelling & simulation (M&S), wargaming and alternative analysis  should be used for testing and validating EU mission and operational concepts.
5. The EU should operationalize CD&E as a policy tool in EU conflict prevention and peacebuilding with  the help of an innovative CD&E platform 

Links 

CDE4Peace Policy Recommendations: https://www.cde4peace.eu/the-cde4peace-policy-recommendations are-here/ 

Keywords 

NATO, European Union, CD&E, Platform, Security, Policy Recommendations, Conflict Prevention, Safety