The European Security and Defence Policy or ESDP is considered a major element of the Common Foreign and Security Policy pillar of the European Union (EU). The ESDP was initiated by provisions of the Amsterdam Treaty which stipulated the progressive framing of a common security and defence policy that could deal with humanitarian and rescue, peacekeeping, peacemaking and combat forces crisis management tasks, called the Petersberg tasks. When the Cologne European Council in June 1999 appointed Javier Solana as the High representative of the CFSP they also declared that "the EU must have the capacity for autonomous action, backed up by credible military forces, the means to decide to use them, and a readiness to do so, in order to respond to international crises without prejudice to actions by NATO".
European Security
The European Security Strategy is the policy document that guides the European Union's international security strategy, setting out its main priorities and identifying the main threats, such as terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, regional conflict, failed states, and organised crime. The strategy was published and agreed upon by EU leaders in December 2003. It was developed by Javier Solana, High Representative of the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy.
European defence
The total spent by the 25 EU nations on defence is approximately €160 billion. On July 12 2004 details of an EU defence agency were finalised. The 80 person agency will be headed by Javier Solana. It will provide political guidance to ensure greater efficiency in EU members military spending, liasing closely with NATO in the process.
Petersberg tasks
The Petersberg tasks are the military tasks of a humanitarian, peacekeeping and peacemaking nature that the European Union (EU) and the Western European Union (WEU) are empowered to do. They were defined in June 1992 at the Hotel Petersburg near Bonn in Germany at a meeting of the Council of the WEU, where the member states agreed to deploy their troops and resources from across the whole spectrum of the military under the authority of the WEU. As a part of the partial merger of the WEU with the European Union these tasks now form a part of the European Security and Defence Policy, and are central to strengthening the European Union's second pillar, the Common Foreign and Security Policy.
Elements of the ESDP
- European Defence Agency
- European Rapid Reaction Force
- European Gendarmerie Force
- European Union battle groups
- European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) [1]
The following permanent political and military bodies were established after the approval of the Nice European Council.
- Political and Security Committee or PSC
- European Union Military Committee or EUMC
- European Union Military Staff or EUMS
Constitution
The draft EU constitution declares that
- The common security and defence policy shall include the progressive framing of a common Union defence policy. This will lead to a common defence, when the European Council, acting unanimously, so decides. It shall in that case recommend to the member States the adoption of such a decision in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements.
- The policy of the Union in accordance with this article shall not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain member states, which see their common defence realised in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, under the North Atlantic Treaty, and be compatible with the common security and defence policy established within that framework. (Art. 1-41 2)
Missions in the ESDP context
Operations launched by the EU in the ESDP context include:
Past Operations
- EUFOR Concordia: Launched 31 March, 2003 in the Republic of Macedonia following the request of President Boris Trajkovski. This operation made use of NATO assets and capabilities.
- Operation Artemis: A military operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, conducted in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1484 of 30 May, 2003, and adopted by the EU on 5 June, 2003. The mission ended on 1 September, 2003. This was the first time the EU conducted a military operation without NATO assistance. France was the "framework nation" and main contributor of forces.
Current Operations
- European Union Police Mission or EUPM: Police mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina that started on 1 January, 2003.
- EUPOL Proxima: More fully the European Union Police Mission in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, this operation was launched on 15 December, 2003 and covered an initial period of one year.
- EUJUST Themis: More fully the EU Rule of Law Mission to Georgia, this mission was launched on 16 July, 2004 for a foreseen duration of 12 months, and is designed to support the Georgian authorities in challenges to the criminal justice system and reform process.
- EUFOR Althea: This is a EU military operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a transition from the NATO-led SFOR. Transfer of authority from SFOR to EUFOR happened on 2 December, 2004.
Future Operations
- none currently planned
Predecessors of the ESDP
- European Defence Community: The EDC was a defence community proposed in the 1950s soon after the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community. The founding treaty failed to be ratified and the project was abandoned.
- Western European Union: The WEU was created after the failure of the EDC, an organisation composed of those states who were members of both NATO and EU. Partially dormant, its tasks have been in part transferred to the EU. It's not yet certain whether the WEU will remain an independent organisation or be eventually fully merged into the EU.