You're listening to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcasts on strategic communication with the EU's neighbours.

Strategic communication is not a new concept, but its significance for the EU's foreign and security policy is increasing,

particularly following the propaganda and disinformation practices in relation

to the Ukraine conflict and recruitment practices by jihadi groups.

So the European Union is designing a more strategic vision for engaging with stakeholders

in its neighbourhood. We'll tell you all about it in this podcast.

Let's look first at what is happening in Europe's south.

If we visualise the history of the EU's relations with the Arab world on a piece of paper,

we wouldn't see a straight line, but a roller coaster.

After the high moment created by the Barcelona process in 1995, the military interventions

in Iraq and Afghanistan and then the terrorist attacks in London

and Madrid strained relations between the West and the Arab world.

Relations picked up again following the wave of public support for the Arab Spring, but

the conflicts in Libya and Syria and the ensuing refugee crisis have once again curved

the line.

More recently, the terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels,

and the spreading of a jihadi propaganda exercised by terrorist groups

like ISIL Daesh and al-Qaeda, signals a clear need to rethink the way in which the EU communicates,

not only with the Arab countries, but also with its own citizens.

To date, over 30,000 foreigners have joined the ranks of Daesh,

including about 4,000 European citizens.

So what can the EU do?

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