The 2011 report on the Instrument for Stability (IfS) has been adopted by the European Commission. The report highlights that with new and ongoing actions in some 50 countries, the EU has used the IfS to respond rapidly to events around the world, such as the unfolding Arab Spring. In its fifth year of operation, the IfS budget has more than doubled from an amount of €139 million in 2007 to €282 million in 2011.

The European Commission adopted the 2011 report on the Instrument for Stability (IfS) which shows that the EU has used the IfS to respond rapidly to events around the world. For example, in the Horn of Africa the IfS, as part of EU and other humanitarian relief efforts, assisted early recovery programmes and continued support was given to countries in the region engaged with piracy trials linked to the EU's CSDP Atalanta counter-piracy naval operation. Recently, the Council launched a new mission to support regional maritime capacities in the Horn of Africa.

In 2011, within the context of tackling global and trans-regional threats to peace and security, efforts focused on capacity-building through programmes aimed at strengthening the capacities of law enforcement and judicial and civil authorities involved in the prevention of and the fight against terrorism and organised crime. In addition, it also focuses on the effective control of illegal trade and transit and building capacities for the protection of critical infrastructure (including maritime routes). Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) programmes helped mitigate risks related to accidental, natural or malevolent CBRN issues and have extended geographical coverage to 40 new countries in addition to those of the former Soviet Union.

On the other hand, the report also shows that under the Peace-building Partnership programmes, work on crisis preparedness, crisis prevention and peace-building continued in cooperation with the EU's international, regional and sub-regional partners as well as with civil society players. This included structured dialogue with civil society and capacity-building of non-state actors in selected countries, as well as cooperation with UN bodies on mediation and dialogue.