The European Neighbourhood Policy and Islamist actors in the southern neighbourhood

This chapter begins with some reflections about definitions of Islamist actors in the region. It suggests that Islamists in the Middle East and North Africa have been given in the European Union' (EU) bilateral initiatives, and explains more nuanced analysis of this role in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). The chapter focuses 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, it investigates, more specifically, the role and place of Islamist movements in the EU's democratisation policies. The chapter presents a set of policy recommendations on how a revitalised ENP, related to the 2015 ENP review process, can better integrate Islamist movements through mutual respect, peaceful and non-violent forms of political participation. It focuses on Islamist parties in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Palestine, where the authors have gathered ethnographic data.