The European Union in Colombia: protecting social leaders to protect Colombia’s peace

Abstract

For the last three decades the EU’s external dimension has undergone a significant transformation, resulting in the EU becoming today a relevant international peace actor. The EU currently backs the colombian Peace Agreement of 2016 that ended the 50 year old conflict with the FARCs. During this conflict the EU has developed its own approach to peace, distinguishing itself from rest. However, the alarming deterioration regarding the security situation of social leaders puts into question the Peace Agreement and the EU. The present work analyses the nature of Colombia’s internal conflict as a whole and the figure of social leaders within it. The author examines the EU’s decision making processes, priorities, ambitions and efforts supporting the peace process in Colombia. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the EU's contribution to the peace process with a particular emphasis on social leaders.