The Relationship between Civil Society and EU Cooperation: Insights from Peacebuilding in Colombia
The Relationship between Civil Society and EU Cooperation: Insights from Peacebuilding in Colombia

Summary/Abstract: Civil society organizations (CSOs) are social actors with a significant impact on the construction of ideas and social reality. They shape the dynamics of international cooperation, along with the role that each actor plays in this process. The European Union has become one of the main donors in the field of cooperation and an actor with particular experience in peacebuilding and conflict transformation. However, to this day, very few studies have empirically analyzed the interactions that exist and develop between the European Union and non-European civil society when they occur in the context of peacebuilding. This article hopes to contribute to filling this gap by providing an in-depth analysis of a case-study. Based on semi-structured interviews, we argue that relationships of peacebuilding cooperation emerge and exist within a process of transnational interaction that takes place at three levels: approach, reciprocal action, and consolidation. The analysis demonstrates the existence of strategic and normative usages of European Cooperation on issues of peacebuilding.

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