Details

The European Union (EU) and the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have sought to broaden their cooperation to various sectors ranging from economic cooperation to energy, environment and scientific research. However, huge scope remains for much closer and vigorous cooperation in the field of security policy. Thus, SHARAKA and its partners from Qatar University (Gulf Studies Program at the College of Arts and Science) will provide room for a fruitful and sustainable EU-GCC debate on security policy. The upcoming event shall be seen as a platform for exchange of lessons learned between academics and scholars, officials and politicians, as well as civil society actors from the EU, the GCC and other Arab countries. Furthermore, this conference serves as an opportunity to identify joint future challenges.

The conference agenda includes presentations, panel discussions and working groups highlighting different aspects of regional security. The programme also leaves enough room for discussions among the renowned conference participants. A broad range of issues will be raised: Which role do emerging powers actually play in the Golf region? How can the EU and the GCC jointly face global challenges? How relevant are food and energy security for regional stability? It is also inevitable to address the cases of Syria and Yemen and their impact on international / EU-GCC relations when discussing regional security. The objective of this conference will be to identify the mutual interests in the field of security cooperation, before new ideas of more profound interaction can be developed. Advancing policy-oriented research and debate over the current state of EU-GCC security cooperation is another aim the conference pursues.

About SHARKA: SHARAKA is implemented by a consortium of five organisations from Europe and the Gulf and was officially launched in May 2012. The two-year project is co-funded by the European Commission and aims at exploring ways to promote relations between the EU and the GCC. SHARAKA implements an interdisciplinary and multi-method approach, combining policy-oriented research, dissemination and outreach, as well as training activities in a comprehensive and synergetic framework. The overall project objective is to strengthen understanding and cooperation in EU-GCC relations. Particular attention is given to the areas identified in the Joint Action Programme of 2010, including key strategic areas of mutual interest including economic, financial and monetary cooperation, investment, trade, energy, environment, transport as well as education and scientific research.

The official Sharaka website (www.sharaka.eu) includes project-related news, upcoming events and activities, as well as useful links.