European Security in the 21st Century: An Institutional Perspective

Abstract

From an institutional perspective, the major post-Cold War development for European security is the emergence of the European Union (EU) as a security actor in its own right. This was prompted by the end of the Cold War and the disappearance of the Soviet threat, which allowed for the development of autonomous European policies, distinct from the US, and by the confrontation with Europe’s own grave limitations when forced to deal with the civil war in former Yugoslavia. Starting with the creation of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) by the Maastricht Treaty, which entered into force in 1993, the EU has set an increasingly clear, ambitious and, arguably, distinctive security agenda. This culminated in the adoption of the European Security Strategy (ESS) (European Council 2003). The first ever strategic document guiding the full range of EU external policies, it unambiguously sets forth the global vocation of the EU, including in the field of security (Bailes 2005). The ESS outlines a holistic approach, integrating security and the other dimensions of foreign policy, from aid and trade to diplomacy.