The EU's approach to fragility and its conflict drivers: changes, risks and opportunities

The paper analyzes how the EU’s approach to fragility is shifting towards more interest-driven, geopolitically oriented partnerships, emphasizing infrastructure and private sector engagement, which may challenge conflict prevention and peacebuilding in fragile contexts. It stresses the need for coherent, context-sensitive policies that uphold conflict sensitivity, governance, and civil society support, and offers recommendations to strengthen the EU’s effectiveness and strategic clarity.