On March 20th, DG NEAR B2 officially launched the third phase of the EU-funded project El-Hiwar III Training and Information course on Euro-Arab relations.

El-Hiwar III will build on the positive trends and results of the previous phases of the project. From 2013 to 2017, the project provided a solid basis for the strengthening of Euro-Arab relations through the organisation of institutional trainings and sectoral meetings aimed at promoting dialogue on topics of mutual interest between the League of Arab States and the European Union. The second phase of this project (from 2018 to 2022) deepened and diversified this cooperation, taking into account the evolution of the priorities of both organisations.

Besides officially launching El-Hiwar III, the event was an opportunity to discuss how changing international and regional contexts are impacting Euro-Arab relations, share common approaches to topics of mutual interest to all relevant actors and further promote the ongoing cooperation.

Therefore, discussions dealt with the thematic priorities resulting from the previous phases of El-Hiwar and from the consultation process previously conducted by the El-Hiwar III Team.

The event brought together participants from the project stakeholders: staff from the EU (DG NEAR, EEAS), from the League of Arab States (LAS Secretariat, LAS Mission in Brussels) and from ECLASLO (the European Commission – League of Arab States Liaison Office). with a particular focus on those involved in the EU-LAS working groups.