ABSTRACT
Since the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) was launched in 2003, the European Union’s (EU’s) policies have increasingly focused on how the EU can engage with so called ‘moderate’ Islamist movements. Starting with some reflections about definitions of Islamist actors in the region, this chapter traces the role that Islamists in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have been given in the EU’s bilateral initiatives, before moving on to a more nuanced analysis of this role in the ENP. It sheds light on the views of such movements and their willingness to become engaged and involved with the EU in its foreign policies at the political and strategic levels. Given the developments in the region since the Arab uprisings, we investigate, more specifically, the role and place of Islamist movements in the EU’s democratisation policies. We conclude with a set of policy recommendations on how a revitalised ENP, related to the 2015 ENP review process (European Commission and High Representative of Foreign Affairs and Security Policy 2015), can better integrate Islamist movements through mutual respect, peaceful and non-violent forms of political participation. The chapter focuses on Islamist parties in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Palestine, where the authors have gathered ethnographic data.
