Planung und Begrenzung der gemeinsamen Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik nach der Osterweiterung der Europäischen Union

Abstract

The importance of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) of the European Union (EU) has increased permanently since its establishment. Through the adoption of the European Security Strategy (ESS) in 2003, the EU has defined its general goals in the field of foreign and security policy. The ESS raises a number of important questions for the Union not only in the field of CFSP. The ESS distinguishes between member states and non-member states and consequently, raises the question of the final number of member states. In a first step this study analyses the possibilities of deriving compulsory criteria from the ESS due to the limit number of member states. Furthermore, it examines the goals of the foreign and security policy of chosen member states. As the member states decide on wether new states can join the Union, an additional analysis regarding the position of these states and of the European Commission towards further enlargements has been made. The question of the accession of Turkey is in several ways problematic for the EU. The membership of Turkey could be a precedent due to its geographical position. But this question imposes not only on this dimension a knock-on effect for other states seeking membership. Of all the membership-seeking states, Turkey is the largest state with the greatest population and biggest economic strength. Against that background, the question of accession of Turkey is examined unter the guidelines of the ESS from the perspective of the overall CFSP. Another question arising from the ESS concerns the organisation of the CFSP to reach the formulated goals. In this context, an overview of the CFSP and the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) is given. The main aspect of this part is the question wether the enlargement of 2004 had an influence on the Unions ability to act. An additional relevant aspect concerns the relationship between the Union and other international players. The relations with the United States, the NATO and Russia are particularly important for the CFSP. After the analysis of the international relations of the Union, proposals of the CFSP are developed. The main focus lies on the involvement of all states with regard to decisionmaking while at the same time maintaining the Union s ability to act.