This book provides a comprehensive overview of why European integration in foreign and security policy has proved so difficult. The obstacles to developing the common policy in this second pillar of the European Union go to the heart of debates around the sovereignty of the nation-state. A leading group of international contributors explain how these problems arise and consider the future prospects of developing a more regional-based solution. Broadly organized around the three areas of policy, actors and issues, the first section traces the reluctant growth of EU integration in foreign and security policy as it developed from the mid-1980s. In the second section the national policies and interests that typically obstruct a common policy are explored through four key member states. The third section considers ways of addressing problems like the EU′s expansion to include Central and Eastern Europe, the impact of an independent European security identity on the transatlantic relationship, as well as the potential risks to European security from the Mediterranean rim.

The book provides an overview of the efforts to develop a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) for the European Union. It covers the attempts to create a European Defence Community in the 1950s, the establishment of the system of European Political Cooperation (EPC) in the 1970s and the renewed drive for a CFSP culminating in the treaties of Maastricht and Amsterdam. The book assesses the CFSP in operation, discusses the EU response to the Bosnia and Kosovo crises and offers some challenging proposals for the future development of the CFSP in light of the enlargement of the Union. This title is published in conjunction with UACES, the University Association for Contemporary European Studies. UACES web site can be found at www.uaces.org

The first book to offer a theory explaining European Union decision-making in foreign and security policies, European Foreign and Security Policy also provides a detailed and practical analysis of how the Common Foreign and Security Policy really works, before and since the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. `Decision-making in the European Union is a process often characterized by obscurity and complexity. In European Foreign and Security Policy, Catherine Gegout explains, with a high degree of clarity, the real-world mechanisms by which agreements are reached among members.'

This book examines the degree to which the European Union has responded as a coherent and strategic actor towards the developmental and security needs of its immediate neighbourhood in the post-Cold War era.

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: 2,1, Vrije University Brussel (Vakgroep Politische Wetenschapen), course: European Relations, language: English, abstract: What is the Common Foreign Security Policy (CFSP) of the European Union? What are its intentions and goals, how is it situated in the framework of the European Union? How can decisions be made in that context and what influences the outcome of this process? Attempts of explanation will be made, although it is expected that the reader has sufficient knowledge about the history of european cooperation on the fields of foreign and security issues, as this research will start with the foundation of the CFSP in the Treaty on the European Union of Maastricht 1992/93. After investigation of the abilities and concepts of the CFSP the case of Serbia and Montenegro shall be put into focus. What has happened in the region paralell to the development of the CFSP in the decade of 1990 – 2000, affecting this new state. What sort of engagement was imposed by the European Union? Did it have adequate success or was it an overall failure to try and would have been better to leave this matter to the United States “South Eastern European Cooperative Initiative” (SECI)? What was achieved through the Belgrade Agreement of March 2002, a real solution or a sort of ceasefire between the parties? Concluding the two research questions and presenting three different but in fact not so different views on the development of engangement of the European Union in southeastern europe shall then lead into a conclusion dealing with the question wether or not the CFSP and its initiatives can be a tool to improve the position of the EU in the world context and as a regional actor.

In a relatively short time, the EU has become one of the most important actors on the world stage. This updated second edition of The Foreign Policy of the European Union explores the goals and effectiveness of the EU's external actions after adoption of the Lisbon Treaty. The book brings together prominent scholars and policymakers who provide an up-to-date view of the EU's foreign policy merits and challenges. "The role and place of the European Union in the world has been a constant question for all of the actors involved.... This book reminds us well of the importance of this question and offers a particularly welcome general overview during these times of doubt and pessimism."—Pierre Vimont, from the foreword

This is an open access title available under the terms of a [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0] License. It is free to read, download and share on Elgaronline.com. This cutting-edge book explores the practices and socialization of the everyday foreign policy making in the European Union (EU), focusing on the individuals who shape and implement the Common Foreign and Security Policy despite a growing dissension among member states.

Does the EU matter in international security? The authors identify and explain the drivers of and brakes to EU foreign security action, offer methods of assessment to ascertain influence, and conclude that the union has become a niche international security provider that has in turn strengthened EU foreign policy.