The first half of 2007 was notable for the relaunch of the Union, after the refusal of the French and the Dutch to ratify the Constitutional Treaty. Institutional questions dominated the debate, leaving little time, at least in the media, for reflection on European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). The question of a European minister for foreign affairs, responsible for the whole of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) including ESDP, was, however, raised by the United Kingdom, which rejected the title ‘minister’, preferring that of ‘high representative’. The European Council, which met on 21 and 22 June 2007, appears to have found a compromise by dropping the title ‘minister’ without adopting the solution put forward at the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC), which made the ‘minister’ a member of the Commission charged with presiding over the Council when ‘foreign affairs’ are involved.

Untroubled by political and institutional quarrels, ESDP continues to move forward relentlessly (the spillover effect of American political science?). It moves at a measured pace in an intergovernmental framework which will probably be its setting for many years to come. The end of the Union’s ‘pillars'⁽¹⁾ could result in the adoption of a simplified treaty, but this will only come at the price of a reaffirmation–demanded by the British–of the intergovernmental character of ESDP and CFSP. Whether in the context of a Union of three pillars or not, the coherence of external action remains a major issue. The member states are aware of this, having adopted a report on the progress achieved in the improvement of the effectiveness, coherence and visibility of the EU’s foreign policies at the May 2007 Council. ESDP contributes all the more emphatically to the establishment of the European Union on the international scene to the extent that it takes part in an overall, inter-pillar strategy, which obliges it to interact with the ‘neighbourhood’ policy, the development policy and humanitarian action. In sum, there is only one dimension lacking in the Union’s external action–collective defence. Not the least of the paradoxes is to advance ESDP and at the same time note the Union’s silence on such sensitive questions as the installation of anti-missile systems on Polish and Czech territory. The field of action of ESDP remains limited to its original object: to provide the European Union with a capability for crisis management enabling it to conduct operations in several theatres of operations with a degree of effectiveness. In this area the result is incontestably positive, without being exceptional.

ESDP Operations

Western Balkans: Slowdown in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Preparation in Kosovo

In Bosnia and Herzegovina the Union’s military presence, in the context of Operation Althea, remains indispensable. However, the first transitional phase took place between 28 February and 28 April 2007. This will allow the restructuring and reduction of EUFOR’s manpower, in an environment which is now safer. Once EUFOR has been reconfigured, by the summer of 2007, it will comprise 2,500 personnel on the ground, supported by reserve forces outside the theatre of operations, ready to intervene anywhere in the country in the event of problems. Combined with the efforts of the Special Representative and the Police Mission (EUPM) which provides guidance to local authorities in order to contribute to the struggle against organised crime and the strengthening of links between the police and the legal sector, EUFOR Althea is a success story for ESDP.