THE INFLUENCE OF NGOS ON SPANISH FOREIGN POLICY TOWARDS NORTH AFRICA REGION: A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE GEOGRAPHICAL AND THEMATIC DISTRIBUTION OF DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION PROJECTS AND PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES AGENDA (2004-2008) IPSA, Madrid July 2012 Aurèlia Mañé-Estrada (GATE University of Barcelona) Miguel H. Larramendi (GRESAM University of Castilla-La Mancha) Irene González-González (GRESAM University of Castilla-La Mancha) Nuevos espacios, actores e instrumentos en las relaciones exteriores de España con el mundo árabe y musulmán (CSO2011-29438-C05-02)
The Influence of NGOs on Spanish Foreign Policy towards North Africa Region.. 1 Introduction and main goals of the study 2 The BDPEX and data selection 3 Main findings 4 Conclusions
1. Introduction and main goals 1 2 3 4 The study focuses on the analysis of sub-state actors and / or nongovernmental organizations in the Spanish foreign policy directed towards North Africa The approach of the study is from a decentralized®ional and non-governmental perspective It has two main goals: To show the utility of the BDPEX as an instrument to formulate new hypothesis of study in the field of the Spanish Foreign Policy To test if they were a relationship amid the action and the targets of the so called sub-state actors: Non Governmental Development Organizations (NGDO) and Members of the Parliament (MP) The secondary data source is the BDPEXand the primary sources the follow-up reports from the Spanish cooperation and development agency (AECID) and the parliamentary questions and initiatives collected by the Spanish Parliament (Congreso de los Diputados)
2. The BDPEX and data selection: What is the BDPEX? The Foreign Policy database (BDPEX) is a working tool: for the study of Spanish foreign relations for detecting, analyzing and decoding the behavior of different actors and interests, which shape the Spanish foreign policy towards the Arab & Muslim world.
2. The BDPEX and data selection: origin It results from two research projects from the Spanish Science and Research Ministry (R & D) Actores e intereses en las relaciones exteriores de España con el Mundo Árabe" (CSO2008-06232-C03-03) "Política exterior y relaciones culturales con el Mundo Árabe" (SEJ2005-08867-C03-03) An interdisciplinary team has been working on its development Each member has contributed to promote a pluralistic view of the Spanish foreign policy.
2. The BDPEX and data selection: Main aim The emergence of new actors and interests requires the conception of new series of tools to achieve the right analysis of the new Spanish foreign policy s forms.
2. The BDPEX and data selection: working hypothesis The framework for analysis of Spanish foreign policy must be adapted to the changes of recent decades, which are: The spread of new foreign policy actors The changes in their capabilities and resources The spring up of new administrative structures at central, regional and local levels + Non-Governamental
2. The BDPEX and data selection: Documentary sources Buscador de iniciativas del Congreso de los Diputados (House of Commons) Estadísticas de la Ayuda Oficial al Desarrollo (AOD) en los Datos del Seguimiento del Plan Anual de Cooperación Internacional (PACI) (Statistics of Official Development Assistance) Boletín Oficial del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación (BOAMAEC) (Official Newsletter - Foreign Affairs Ministry) Guía del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación (Guide - Foreign Affairs Ministry) Guía de las representaciones de España en el extranjero (Abroad s Representation Guide) Extracto de las hojas de servicio del personal de la carrera diplomática (Diplomatic staff carreers) Escalillas del personal de la carrera diplomática, (Diplomatic staff carreers) Actividades, textos y Documentos de la Política Exterior Española, Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperación (Documents on Spanish Foreign Policy) Monografías de los Países Árabes e Islámicos, Dirección General de Comunicación del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación (Texts on Arab & Muslim World) Boletín Oficial del Estado y Colección Histórica (Gazeta) (Government Gazette) DataComex, Estadísticas del Comercio Exterior Español (Foreign Trade Statistics) DataInvex, Estadísticas de Inversión Española en el Exterior (FDI Statistics)
3. Main findings: cooperation projects 1 2 3 4 To avoid biasing we did not include Western Sahara in the analysis, though it is the main target of the Spanish decentralized ODA As expected, Morocco is the main destination of Spanish ODA, and Mauritania is the second Nor Egypt nor Libya were a target of the ODA, though next legislature they were the protagonists of the Arab riots None of the rentier countries such are Algeria and Libya were considered as ODA targets by themselves (Western Sahara or energy export infrastructures)
3. Main findings: cooperation projects 1 2 It is relevant the greater weight of non centralized cooperation projects, compared with the centralized ones (the exception is Egypt due to gas infrastructure investments) It is indicative of the existence of a great permeability and porosity of the external cooperation through local and civil society
3. Main findings: cooperation projects Number of projects channeled through NGDO, by region of origin and destination country 1 The main destination countries are Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria 2 The main donors (by number of projects) are: Cataluña. Andalucía and Canarias: 3 So, the main work hypothesis are.
3. Main findings: cooperation projects In regional and non-governmental terms: 1There is no direct relationship between economic relations and cooperation 2There is no correlation between GDP per capita and level of cooperation 3There is no single reason for NGDO action and non-tangible, historic and cultural reasons seem to have great influence 4Immigration has great influence in both senses: securization and immigrants as non-governmental actors 5Institutional support may be crucial in fostering NGDO action (maybe ideological too?)
3. Main findings: cooperation projects Number of projects channeled through NGDO, by subject and destination country 1 The subject classification does not provide meaningful information, because it is highly determined by the priorities of the Spanish Cooperation Agency
3. Main findings: House of Commons As it happens in the cooperation projects case: 1The Western Sahara is the main matter of concern aroused in the Parliamentary debates: In a very exceptional way 10% of the debate initiates were from local and city authorities. All of them were related to the Western Sahara issue The Western Sahara issue is spread amid the initiatives of MP of every single Autonomous Community. Even in the case of Extremadura is the only issue of debate If refined, the thematic analysis shows that 42 of the 128 interventions that are classified as "security and defense" also deal with issues relating to the Western Sahara.
3. Main findings: House of Commons Area of interest of the regional MPs 1 As it happens in the case of cooperation s projects the main geographic concern of the MPs are Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania
3. Main findings: House of Commons Main issues of interest of the regional MPs 1 As an aggregate the Parliamentary debate is securized, though there are local differences..
3. Main findings: House of Commons 1 1 2 3 4 There are four types of local interest: The securized over acting communities (imigration and security is its main concern): Castilla-León & Murcia The diversified and under acting communities: Cataluña, Andalucia & Canarias Galicia, the economic community The others..
4. Conclusions The comparison between the decentralized NGDO-cooperation projects and the regional MPs interventions, shows that: 1From the point of view of destination country: The Western Sahara is the big issue for the de-centralized and nongovernmental Spanish Foreign Policy actors, but it is not for central governmental Spanish Foreign Policy Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania are the main concern for both types of actors, though the evolution of Mauritania is still a mystery and in the Algerian case, the central-governmental interest looks more economic than the de-centralized, non-governmental. None of the countries where, some months later, the Arab riots explode were a matter of concern for de-centralized and non-governmental Spanish Foreign Policy actors
4. Conclusions The comparison between the decentralized NGDO-cooperation projects and the regional MPs interventions, shows that: 1From the point of view of region of origin, there are three types of local actors: Actors which have different interests and local institutions which support some external action. These are Catalonia, Andalusia and the Canary Islands, which are characterized by the most active in channeling ODA projects through NGOs 'local', targeting different topics, and are characterized also by having MPs with a diversified interest in the region Actors form communities like Murcia or Castile-Leon, whose action through decentralized cooperation is very slight, but whose MPs are extremely active on issues such as immigration and internal security. We understand that in these communities is where the securization of foreign policy is greater The actors from the Atlantic communities, whose interest for the North African matters is little, except for the Galician case, whose stakes are on the fishing issues.
4. Conclusions The comparison between the decentralized NGDO-cooperation projects and the regional MPs interventions, shows that: 1The thematic comparison is meaningless