This Master's thesis analyses the European Union's (EU) engagement in the Sahel region over
the last decade, with a particular focus on the security and climate challenges faced by the G5
Sahel countries in particular and the EU's response to them as an external actor. The Sahel is
strategically important for the EU due to its geopolitical position as a transit point for migration
from Africa to Europe and represents the first serious challenge for EU external action since
the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty and the establishment of the European External Action
Service (EEAS). The research problem focuses on examining the partial failure of EU strategies
in the Sahel, which have proved to be insufficiently holistic and ill-adapted to the complex
situation in the region, in particular with regard to the impact of climate change on the security
situation. The findings of this work propose that the EU's future policies in the region should
strive for a more integrated approach, combining security and climate aspects, in order to
contribute to the sustainable development and stability of the region. Despite improvements in
the military capabilities of the Sahel countries, EU policies have not contributed sufficiently to
addressing the underlying challenges in the long term, which calls for a rethink of new strategies
for engagement with the Sahel countries.
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