European integration and conflict resolution in the Basque country, Northern Ireland and Cyprus

This chapter examines the impact of European integration on conflict in the Basque Country, Northern Ireland and Cyprus. It seeks to fill an empiricial 'gap' in the literature by drawing insights from the much studied Northern Irish and Cypriot cases and examining their relevanced for the largely unexplored Basque case. Although the study is not exhaustive, four key issues are examined: whether the EU has pressured parties to a conflict to search for peace; whether it offers incentives or 'carrots' for that purpose; whether the technical requirements of membership unintentionally encourage cooperation and whether the EU affects identification patterns relevant to the conflict. The main conclusion is that the EU has been unsystematic and piecemeal in its approach to these conflicts, and has rarely directed its efforts at the complex core of issues causing conflict. Nevertheless, the EU has become part of the political landscape in which these conflicts play themselves out.