A Compass for the CSDP
Int'l Security Policy Working Group, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung | April 2012
The European Union's Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) is intended to enable Europe to actively pursue peace in its neighborhood. From the beginning, it has been a key concern of the Social Democrats' policy on Europe. Emerging from EU impotence in the face of the violent break-up of the former Yugoslavia this policy instrument is supposed to enable effective European crisis management. Furthermore, with the Lisbon Treaty the idea of a joint European defense policy gathered momentum. However, the CSDP has thus far yielded only meagre results, functioning as a supplement to national policy and based on the lowest common denominator among the member states. A new attempt to bring the CSDP into being is needed.
The paper formulates the long-term goal of a political union that would shape the framework of a joint European security policy. This goal is still some way off. For the time being, only small steps are possible within the framework of the existing treaties. This includes the joint formulation of European strategies, utilization of Permanent Structured Cooperation, building up joint capabilities and close agreement with regard to national defense planning.
Read the full paper here.
The International Security Policy Working Group of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung includes Franz H. U. Borkenhagen, Hans-Georg Ehrhart (IFSH), Roland Kästner, Niels Annen (FES), Christos Katsioulis (FES), Gero Maaß (FES), Detlef Puhl, Sammi Sandawi, Michael Schäfer, Axel Schneider, and Oliver Thränert (SWP).
