Mr. Ash Jain, Chair
jcjain@northwestern.edu


The concept of the common security policy for the EU first became significant when it was added to the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, and then expanded and further defined in 1997’s Amsterdam Treaty. However, the actual manifestation of this policy has yet to be fleshed out, and what long-term form (if any) the policy will take remains to be seen.

There are a number of issues that need to be resolved before a Common Security Policy can be implemented. These include the organizational and chain-of-command structure of any military force, as well as the scope of the powers given to the Political and Security Committee (which would ostensibly run the CSP).

The goal of a CSP has been further complicated by the “Turkish Question,” as Turkey has made its bid to become a full member of the EU. This raised the question as to whether the EU can continue to grow and yet still cater to the varying interests of all included countries. Turkish membership would also mean that the EU would suddenly be much more involved in Middle Eastern affairs, with the requisite military consequences.

If implemented, a CSP would most likely (but not necessarily) consist of some form of rapid-reaction force (RRF) that would respond to crises before they can escalate, and also increasingly unified peacekeeping activities under the EU flag. This raises further questions, as the peacekeeping interests and desired deployment rate may or may not be out of the hands of member countries. It would also cause problems if a unanimous decision was required to deploy the RRF, as this could slow down the process and potentially take away the possibility of a rapid reaction.


http://www.um.dk/en/menu/EU/TheDanishOptouts/
http://europa.eu.int/en/agenda/igc-home/ms-doc/state-uk/labour.html
http://www.dadalos-europe.org/int/grundkurs3/etappe_8.htm