Work packages

Limited statehood and contested orders: conceptual framework

Work Package 1  focuses on the elaboration of an integrated conceptual framework to guide the empirical research within EU-LISTCO. In the course of the project, this WP1 will formulate hypotheses on the conditions under which areas of limited statehood and contested orders deteriorate into threats to the security of the EU, its member states, and its citizens.

Risk scanning and foresight for strategic policy design

Work Package 2 will deliver an up-to-date appraisal of global and regional risks and threats. By developing quantitative forecasting models and following a threat-scanning process, researchers will identify, assess, and monitor how areas of limited statehood and contested orders lead to risks and threats to the EU and its member states . Together with practitioners, WP2 researchers are also developing and piloting a collaborative methodology to design strategic policies aimed at preventing and responding to security threats.

Global and diffuse threats and their effects on limited statehood and contested orders

Work Package 3 analyses global and diffuse threats as well as their nexus with risks emanating from areas of limited statehood and contested orders in the surroundings of the EU. Global threats are defined as those associated with territories and countries not directly neighbouring the EU (e.g. Afghanistan/Pakistan, China, Iran, North Korea, and parts of Sub-Saharan Africa), while diffuse threats are considered non-territorial, such as climate change or cyberspace.

Risk and threats in areas of limited statehood and contested orders in the EU’s eastern and southern surroundings

Through cross-regional comparative case studies, Work Package 4 examines processes leading to governance breakdown and to violent conflicts in the EU’s Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods. It also addresses conditions for societal and political resilience in these regions. Case studies are identified through a matrix that combines three key topics (e.g. political revisionism and radicalism, governance of the political economy, migration and demography) and three types of actors (e.g. central government and other state bodies, local and external actors).

Analysis of the preparedness of the EU and its member states

Work Package 5 analyses the preparedness and willingness of the EU and its member states to foster resilience in countries affected by areas of limited state statehood and contested orders located across Europe’s East and South. Through an assessment of European foreign policy’s successes and failures, researchers are evaluating efforts and external action instruments to better anticipate, prevent, and respond to challenges in neighbouring countries.

Policy responses: The EU and its member states

Following an assessment of how the EU and its member states respond to security threats, Work Package 6 formulates policy recommendations to anticipate, prevent, and respond to risks emanating from areas of limited statehood and contested orders as well as to global and diffuse threats.

This work package creates a structured platform for cooperation between the project consortium and its policy partners, namely the European External Action Service (EEAS), and the French, German, and Italian ministries of foreign affairs. EU-LISTCO scholars are seconded in policy institutions directly connected to the EEAS or the mentioned MFAs, while policymakers are involved in joint workshops and study trips in Europe’s neighbouring regions.

Knowledge dissemination

Work Package 7 communicates the research of the consortium to European and international policy-makers, academic and think-tank communities, civil society, media, and the general public. It embeds project research and the consortium in European and global research and civil society networks. This WP7 aims to raise public awareness about the projects results and activities, both within and outside the EU, and identifies outreach opportunities to engage with key decision-makers. 

Coordination and management

Work Package 8 ensures that the outcomes of EU-LISTCO are of high quality and that all agreed milestones and deliverables are met. It ensures efficient administrative and financial management, coordinates academic activities within the project, and provides organisational support to consortium members. It is also the partner responsible for communicating with the European Commission.