Abstract
Although the improvement of military capabilities has been a key rationale underpinning the development of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), EU member states' continued preference for non-binding, intergovernmental forms of ‘soft’ or ‘new’ governance in this policy field has limited progress significantly. It is argued here that while agreements based on such mechanisms are easier to make, they are also easier to break. Stronger governance elements, such as independent leadership and enhanced cooperation, are likely to be required if security ambitions are to be translated into the kind of credible, deployable military capabilities that member states seek. Clauses contained in the Constitutional Treaty, as well as the creation and consolidation of the European Defence Agency, permit a degree of optimism, however.
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