This report presents discussions from a Civil Society Dialogue Network (CSDN) Policy Meeting on conflict prevention, peacebuilding and crisis response in the context of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). Organised by the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO) in cooperation with the European Commission and the European External Action Service, the meeting brought together civil society experts and practitioners alongside representatives of EU institutions and Member States to inform reflections on the EU’s future financial architecture for external action.
Discussions examined the strategic rationale for sustained EU investment in conflict prevention and peacebuilding at a time of rising global conflict and declining Official Development Assistance. Participants drew on concrete examples from across Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe to illustrate the added value of civil society-led peacebuilding, the importance of crisis response funding, and the risks of over-reliance on hard security approaches. The meeting also addressed current funding trends, the need to defend an ambitious Global Europe budget, and key structural concerns around localisation, non-programmable funding, and the shift towards geographic programming.
The meeting further considered a range of specific provisions in the proposed Global Europe regulation, including the scope of peace and resilience objectives, the application of conflict sensitivity requirements across all actions, the treatment of fragile states, and the inclusion of quantitative thematic targets. Participants put forward twelve recommendations for EU policymakers aimed at ensuring that conflict prevention, peacebuilding and crisis response remain central and adequately resourced priorities in the next MFF cycle from 2028 to 2035.
