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Europe and the Arab Revolutions

Europe and the Arab revolutions: backing fair and accountable politics 

The Arab revolutions present the EU with a challenge: embarrassed by support for the stability offered by former leaders, it now wants to support democracy and human rights in a region where popular representation may conflict with liberal values.

In a new policy brief published by ECFR (“Europe and the Arab revolutions: a new vision for democracy and human rights”), Susi Dennison and Anthony Dworkin lay out the dilemmas presented by the Arab revolutions. They argue that Europe should concentrate on helping create the building blocks of accountable states while encouraging the background conditions of social, economic and cultural factors that create sustainable political openness.

The authors argue that:

• In Libya, Tunisia and Egypt the EU must push for the political and institutional foundations of an accountable state. It must build relationships with all political groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamic parties.
• Where overt repression continues, as in Syria, the EU must make a stand while looking for ways to end the violence and move towards legitimate government, working with other neighbourhood states.
• The EU’s relations with recalcitrant regimes must be businesslike, for instance by voicing concerns over lack of reform when dealing with Algeria over energy.

Download a pdf of “Europe and the Arab revolutions: a new vision for democracy and human rights”

Further downloads: click for ECFR publications on Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco, and “Towards an EU human rights strategy for a post-Western world”.

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“Public and political figures in these countries may not want to be associated with the West. The EU needs to throw its weight and resources behind the broader goal of popular empowerment rather than simply search for those who share our values.”
Anthony Dworkin

“Europe should make clear its offer on supporting democracy, including assistance for the region’s economies – even if measures like encouraging agricultural trade and travel may face resistance in some EU countries. Progress in the Southern neighbourhood is crucial for Europe’s longer term stability and prosperity.”
Susi Dennison

Facts:

• The EU currently exports more than three times the value of agricultural produce that it imports from Egypt, largely because of non-tariff regulations that limit Egyptian access to European markets.
• The largest EU markets for Egyptian exports are Italy, Spain, France and the UK; for Tunisian exports France, Italy and Germany; for Algerian exports Spain, Netherlands and France.
• The largest contributors of bilateral aid to Egypt are Germany ($146 million p.a.) and France ($93 million).

Notes to editors:

1. This paper, like all ECFR publications, represents the views of its authors, not the collective position of ECFR or its Council Members.
2. The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is the first pan-European think-tank. Launched in October 2007, its objective is to conduct research and promote informed debate across Europe on the development of coherent and effective European values based foreign policy.