The idea that EU countries should act together to promote and defend their
strategic interests is as old as the Union itself. It started when the six
founder members tried unsuccessfully to create a European Defence
Community in 1954. They went on to found the European Economic Community
instead.
The roots of the current foreign and security policy are to be found in
the process called European Political Cooperation, which was launched in
1970, to coordinate the position of EU countries on big foreign policy
issues of the day. Decisions were taken by consensus and it sometimes
proved hard to find the required unanimity on sensitive issues where the
interests of the different countries diverged.
As the EU grew in size and entered new policy areas, it intensified
efforts to play an international diplomatic and security role more in line
with its economic power. The conflicts that broke out in south-east Europe
in the 1990s after the collapse of Yugoslavia convinced EU leaders of the
need for effective joint action. More recently, the fight against
international terrorism has strengthened this conviction.
The principle of a common foreign and security policy (CFSP) was
formalised in the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. This defined the types of
diplomatic and political activities the EU could undertake in conflict
prevention and resolution.
The lessons of failure
Following the failure of its diplomatic efforts to broker peace between
the warring parties as Yugoslavia disintegrated, and in light of major
conflicts in Africa, EU leaders gave the go-ahead in 1999 for a specific
European security and defence policy (ESDP) which is incorporated into the
overall framework of the CFSP. The first military missions took place in
2003 in the Balkans, scene of earlier diplomatic failures, and in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Under the ESDP, European military or police forces can be sent to conflict
areas to carry out crisis management, humanitarian and rescue missions,
peacekeeping and even peace-making operations. They also support and train
local police.
In addition, the EU has also created a military rapid reaction capability;
separate from NATO, but with access to NATO resources. It is based on what
is called the battlegroup concept. At any one time, the EU now has two
battlegroups on permanent standby, enabling the EU to respond rapidly to
emerging crises by military means. Battlegroups are multinational, consist
of about 1 500 soldiers, and are available for a period of six months
under a system of rotation.
Over the years, attempts have been made to streamline the way CFSP
decisions are taken. But key decisions still require a unanimous vote.
This is sometimes hard to achieve as illustrated by the different ways EU
countries responded to the US-led invasion of Iraq.
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Reducing the human and economic cost
Since 1990 more than 4 million people have died in conflicts around the
world. Ninety per cent of them were civilians. Dealing with the seven
biggest conflicts of the 1990s cost the international community €200
billion that could otherwise have been used for peaceful purposes. This is
why the European Union is determined to act more effectively to prevent
conflicts happening in the first place. The European security and defence
policy (ESDP) is now part of this effort.
Besides the rapid reaction missions which can intervene early on as crisis
situations develop, the ESDP also has an information-gathering and
analysis function and the ability to monitor the application of
international agreements to anticipate potential conflicts.
These new capabilities reinforce the EU’s traditional tools of external
relations, including technical and financial assistance, support for
institution-building and good governance in developing countries,
humanitarian aid and diplomatic instruments like political dialogue and
mediation. In this way, the EU can be ready to respond to specific
situations as they arise — with the right mix of instruments. |
