The transition to peace is at the heart of the relationship between the European Union (EU) and Colombia. EU support for peace has consistently focused on an approach integrating diplomacy, trade, security, peace negotiations and political dialogue supported by development co-operation programmes and humanitarian assistance. The European Union has successfully aligned its different instruments and acted as a catalyst for policy dialogue and sustained co-ordination among Member States and other partners.
EU integrated support to peace in Colombia
Abstract
The transition to peace is at the heart of the relationship between the European Union (EU) and Colombia. Over the past two decades, EU support for peace has focused on integrating diplomacy, trade, security, peace negotiations and political dialogue supported by development co-operation programmes and humanitarian assistance where necessary. This approach started long before prospects for peace were clear and later adapted to support the specific aims of the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) in 2016 (hereafter “the peace agreement”). As the transition to positive peace is not linear, a challenge remains: how to sustain support over the long-term while adapting approaches to reflect the changing conflict dynamics, address evolving needs and adjust to the emerging development co-operation paradigm?
From the early 2000s to date, the European Union has successfully aligned its different external action instruments in support of peace in Colombia through an integrated approach (Figure 1):
Long-term political support: the diplomatic engagement of EU institutions and Member States with Colombia over time has been both bilateral and collective. An EU Special Envoy supported the Colombian peace process. EU institutions and Member States lent their collective support to the landmark 2016 peace agreement. This culminated in the EU Trust Fund for Colombia, a dedicated instrument focused on rural reform and the end of the conflict as outlined in Chapters 1 and 3 of the peace agreement.
Development co-operation programmes aligned to peace objectives, including budget support and instruments in support of civil society and human rights: the European Union focused on a tailored approach to the local context during conflict in preparation for peace. For instance, it developed the community-based Peace Laboratories (2002‑2012) and New Peace Territories (2012‑2017) programmes. In addition, the EU Instrument contributing to stability and peace addressed urgent needs beyond the humanitarian remit. The EU Trust Fund for Colombia (EUTF, 2016‑2021) was a pooled funding mechanism anchored in the peace agreement. Its inclusive governance enabled collective EU action, bringing in Member States, the Colombian government and other partners such as Chile and the United Kingdom. Since the phasing out of the Trust Fund, the European Union has continued to align dedicated peace programmes with objectives on trade; human rights; civil society; and regional programming on justice and security, such as transnational organised crime.
Humanitarian assistance to address evolving needs: the European Union has provided sustained humanitarian assistance where and when necessary to deal with the impacts of conflict and displacement.
Trade and investment opportunities: through initiatives such as the 2012 EU trade agreement with Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, as well as the Global Gateway, the European Union has integrated trade and investment as a core part of its relationship with Colombia.
Source: EU Trust Fund for Colombia (2019), EU & Colombia: Key Partners for Peace, European Commission, https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2019-09/eu-colombia-key-partners-for-peace_en.pdf.
The EU integrated approach has yielded several results and has been widely praised by Colombia and other partners:
Trust: sustained engagement over the long term and with successive Colombian governments, including through phases of political strain, have positioned the European Union as a trusted partner.
Visibility: collective EU engagement and tangible projects at community level backed by the legitimacy of the peace process have given the European Union high visibility as a partner for peace in Colombia.
Credibility: long-term sustained engagement and collective commitment before and throughout the peace process with the Colombian government involved in decision making on peace projects confirmed the European Union as a credible partner for peace.
High expectations: for better or worse, the EU track record in support of peace means that Colombia and partners continue to expect sustained engagement for peace, even though efforts are under way to shift the approach to co-operation. These expectations need to be managed, including with the authorities, Member States, civil society and other stakeholders.
Sustainability: the limited sustainability of small-scale peace projects is a recognised weakness of the EU approach since the peace agreement. Yet, shifting to an approach that seeks to scale interventions – through local value chains, for example – is perceived as a departure from the previous approach rather than an evolution.
Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus: the integrated approach is the result of effective co-ordination, collaboration and coherence of humanitarian, development and peace actions within the EU institutions and with Member States.
Co-ordination and integrated action bring the full political clout of the European Union. The integrated approach to peace was a precursor to Team Europe that succeeded in building trust, credibility and EU visibility over time, even through phases of strained political relations.
The HDP nexus goes beyond projects. The HDP nexus embraces a comprehensive coherence and complementarity of objectives in support of peace by aligning all instruments, not just development co-operation.
Despite some shortcomings, the EUTF is widely seen as an effective and tailored instrument in the Colombian context:
The EUTF, as the only EU trust fund attached to a specific peace agreement, ensured clarity and focus.
Managing the EUTF in-country rather than at headquarters contributed to its success.
While inclusive and consensus-based governance ensured broad participation, it also posed challenges to ensure the visibility and effectiveness of individual actions with different levels of involvement from the EUTF board members (the contributors).
Adopting a territorial approach to peacebuilding enabled interventions tailored to the specific needs of the regions.
The strong and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework provided a precedent for other EU-supported initiatives.
The EUTF showed how the European Union can align its instruments, including budget support for increased political leverage.
Continued support to peace, including through the Global Gateway in the new development paradigm, requires innovative thinking and an authorising environment. In the current Multi-annual Indicative Programme, the European Union is seeking to continue its support to peace and address some of the weaknesses of the EUTF, such as the limited sustainability of small-scale, grant-funded projects. At the same time, this needs to be balanced with the new focus on large-scale infrastructure projects that aim to increase development at the macroeconomic level.
de Armiño, KP (ed.) (2023), European Union Support for Colombia's Peace Process: Civil Society, Human Rights and Territorial Peace, Palmgrave Macmillan, London, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24797-2.
de Armiño, KP (ed.) (2023), “The EU’s Peace Work in Colombia: Conclusions, Lessons Learned and Future Prospects” in European Union Support for Colombia's Peace Process: Civil Society, Human Rights and Territorial Peace, Palmgrave Macmillan, London, https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-24797-2_13#Sec5.
EU Trust Fund for Colombia (2019), EU & Colombia: Key Partners for Peace, European Commission, Brussels, https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2019-09/eu-colombia-key-partners-for-peace_en.pdf.
European Trust Fund for Colombia (n.d.), “About the European Trust Fund for Colombia”, https://www.fondoeuropeoparalapaz.eu/en/about-eutf/.
Fondo Europeo parla la Paz (2024), Final Monitoring Report European Trust Fund for Peace in Colombia, European Union, Brussels, https://www.fondoeuropeoparalapaz.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Final-Monitoring-Report-EUTF-VF.pdf.
OECD (forthcoming), OECD Development Co-operation Peer Reviews: European Union 2025, OECD Development Co-operation Peer Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris.
OECD (2025), “The State of Fragility in 2025” in States of Fragility 2025, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/81982370-en.
OECD (2025), “Engaging in contexts facing highest fragility”, Development Co-operation TIPs • Tools Insights Practices, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/development-co-operation-tips-tools-insights-practices_be69e0cf-en/engaging-in-fragile-contexts_b67a279f-en.html.
To learn more about European Union’s development co-operation, see:
OECD, "European Union institutions", Development Co-operation Profiles, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/development-co-operation-profiles_04b376d7-en/european-union-institutions_e27f9002-en.html.
More In Practice examples from European Union are available on Development Co-operation TIPs • Tools Insights Practices.
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