Greece's  initial contribution to post-Amsterdam reflections on the Development  of a Common Defence Policy by  the E.U. (Submitted to the General Affairs Council of May 17-18, 1999  

1. The recent dramatic developments in the Balkans have highlighted in the most revealing manner the need for developing the European Union’s capacity to cope effectively with regional sources of instability and conflicts. Europe needs to play an active role in preventing conflicts and to be able to tackle them speedingly and effectively when they occurred especially in its backyard. To do so, the E.U. must enhance its common foreign and security policy (CFSP) by acquiring the operational, military, institutional and procedural capabilities, means and instruments for projecting an autonomous, active role in preventing, managing and resolving conflicts.

 

2. Moreover, the successful creation of the single currency/Euro, which places upon the European Union new and wider international functions and responsibilities as well as the pending enlargement of the Union with six countries (five from Central, Eastern Europe and Cyprus), which is bound to confront the Union with new security challenges, risks and problems, militate in favour of accelerating the process for framing a common defense policy and a common defense. The European Union must become fully prepared to meet the new risks and challenges and play its role on the international scene as a reliable and credible political actor, a political role which begins to be commensurate with its economic power.

 

3. The entry into force of the new Treaty of Amsterdam provides a strong and essential basis for starting the process for the development of the European Security and Defense Identity (ESDI) at the European Union level. The Amsterdam Treaty states in its preamble that the signatorystates are " resolved to implement a common foreign and security policy including the progressive framing of a common defense policy which might lead [to a common defense policy which might lead] to a common defense in accordance with the provisions of article J.7" . Article J.7 of the Treaty stipulates that " the common foreign and security policy shall include all questions relating to the security of the Union including the progressive framing of a common defense policy [....] which might lead to a common defense...." .

 

4. The European Council is the institution entrusted by the Amsterdam Treaty with the responsibility of deciding on the progressive framing of a common defense policy and common defense in the framework of the CFSP. This means that we can proceed with the task of framing a common defense policy by rapidly implementing the provisions of the Amsterdam Treaty, without necessarily convening a new intergovernmental conference.

5. Common defense policy and common defense should be an integral component of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) of the E.U. Their function, that is, must be to contribute to the realization of the whole range of objectives of the CFSP by enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the policy. The scope of common defense policy and common defense will in turn be defined by the objectives and underlying principles of the Union’s common foreign and security policy. The ultimate objective of common defense policy and common defense will be to contribute to strengthening the independence, integrity and security of the Union. Consequently, the definition of the conceptual framework for the common defense policy/common defense must be derived from the content of the Amsterdam Treaty concerning the CFSP. On the basis of this, we can proceed to identify security risk perceptions, shared interests and common threats and the instruments and capabilities to be employed for promoting objectives and working out suitable responses.

6. The reinforcement of solidarity among the member states of the E.U., which the development of common defense policy/common defense entails, will not and should not affect or diminish in any way the collective defense commitments and obligations of E.U. states in NATO. On the contrary, it will contribute decisively to the vitality of the Alliance and to the strength of transatlantic links, by, among other things, allowing Europe to shoulder more responsibilities in future crises. In other words, the development of common defense policy/common defense by the E.U. is a complementary and not an antithetical component of the Atlantic Alliance. The Declaration adopted by the recent NATO summit in Washington underscores the need for Europe to develop its own defense identity.

 

7. The foundation for building the Union’s common defense policy/common defense must be the " Petersberg tasks" which have already been incorporated into the Treaty of Amsterdam. However, the context, mechanisms and procedures for preventing, managing and resolving crises need to be clearly worked out.

8. Common defense policy/common defense must endow the European Union with the capacity to take autonomous, purposeful action, especially where NATO is not prepared or willing to become engaged. To be able to do so, the European union needs to develop concrete operational capabilities based on credible military forces. To this end, a wide array of options can be considered ranging from setting up multinational forces to having recourse to national or NATO assets as specific situations dictate.

9. The institutional and procedural aspects of a common defense policy/common defense can not be divorced from the operational/military aspects. They form a unified whole, in which one element/reinforces or weakens the other depending on the particular political circumstances and relations. The availability of operational/military means and capabilities must be underpinned by the appropriate institutional and procedural mechanism for efficient policy-making and decision-taking.

10. In our view, the institutional arrangements set out in the Treaty, which essentially divide responsibility in policy-shaping and decision-making between the European Union on the one hand and Western European Union (WEU) on the other are not conducive to expedient and efficient decision-making especially when it comes to dealing with the management of crises. Transparency, clarity and coherence, the essential characteristics of an efficient policy-making framework, seem to be lacking.

11. The essential first step in the process of working out a solution to the institutional problem, a solution which would enable the European Union to formulate efficiently and implement policy is to proceed with the integration of the Western European Union (WEU) into the European Union. Institutional confusion notwithstanding, maintaining WEU as an independent body appears to be losing its distinctive importance due to the changing nature of NATO in particular and of the European security environment.

12. The integration of the WEU into the E.U. must be accomplished with full respect for the rights, obligations and specific conditions concerning the EU member states [as well as the rights of the WEU members/associated members and partners]. This may entail the drawing up of special institutional arrangements to take account of the specific priorities and needs of individual member states.

 

1. The integration of the WEU into the E.U. should be carried out in connection with the second pillar, namely in the CFSP. This effectively implies that all functions and competences of the WEU (as provided in the Brussels Treaty), be they political or military, will be transferred to the CFSP. To overcome specific difficulties, the integration could be effected by means of a protocol to be signed by the interested member states of the EU . But it must be clear that the European Union will provide the institutional framework within which defense policy will be formulated and relevant decisions will be taken.

 

2. E.U./W.E.U. integration could be a staged process. The specific details and steps for each stage could be worked out by the European Council which has the authority, under the Treaty of Amsterdam, to implement the absorption of the WEU by the E.U. However, an early step in the process could be nomination of the Secretary-General/High Representative for the CFSP to serve as Secretary-General for the WEU.
3. While remaining essentially non-communitized, common defense policy/common defense could benefit from the contributions of the European Union’s organs (European Commission, European Parliament) both in terms of substance, effectiveness and legitimacy.

 

4. Following the conclusions of the Vienna European Council and given that a number of member states have already presented ideas about the future of European defense, it is necessary for the General Affairs Council (GAC) to initiate a systematic discussion on the issue. The GAC is the suitable political forum in which to conduct the debate for the future of European defense in the context of the CFSP.