An Analysis On The Common Foreign And Security Policy Of The European Union

The European Union(EU) countries had made remarkable achievements in the economical integration since the European Coal and Steel Joint Venture was founded in 1952. However, in the integration of politics and defense, the European countries have been walking to and fro and making no progress, which forms a sharp contrast with the integration of economy. In Maastricht Pact signed in 1992, the European Community put forward the Common Foreign and Security Policy(CFSP) formally. Nevertheless, in practice, this policy have been acting fruitlessly and meeting with a lot of obstruction. In 2003, the Iraq War made differences appear in the European Union, which made CFSP suffered a serious defeat. And the enlargement of EU on May the 1st, 2004 also made the policy faced with a severe challenge. In addition, CFSP still has a lot of deep-leveled problems and mechanism defects which make it difficult for EU to implement a common foreign policy. On the other hand, the EU countries often compromise with one another on some affairs. The EU draft constitution passed on June the 18th, 2004 has propelled CFSP forward to a certain extent. Generally speaking, EU has taken a journey without return in its integration. In this thesis, I will mainly analyze the origins, the development, the nature, the operating mechanism, the interior problems and the exterior challenge of CFSP. And I will also discuss the relations between EU and the chief nations in the world and the relation between EU and NATO restricted within CFSP. I cordially request every teacher to point out the inappropriate respects in my thesis. The thesis is divided into 5 sections: The first section briefly introduces the origins and the development of CFSP. It points out that CFSP results from the European Political Cooperation which was founded in the beginning of the 1970's. In Maastricht Pact signed in 1992 the policy was formally established. Then after Amsterdom Pact signed in 1997, Cologne summit meeting in 1999, Nisi Pact signed in 2001 and the EU draft constitution passed in June,2004 the policy continues its development. The second section mainly expounds the nature and the operating mechanism of CFSP. First, the thesis points out that CFSP still remains a nature of inter-governmental cooperation which expresses the multilateralism. Afterwards, the thesis elaborates the main policy-making roles of CFSP. They are the European Council, the Council of European Union, the High Representative for CFSP, the Political and Security Committee, the European Commission and the European Parliament. Starting with introducing the rights and the responsibilities of these policy-making roles, the thesis mainly analyses the operating mechanism of CFSP. The third section makes a thorough analysis of the internal problems and the external challenge of CFSP. The internal problems of the policy are as follows: the contradiction between the power that surpasses the nations and the nature that expresses the intergovernmental cooperation, the defects of the policy making and the operating mechanism, the problem that the fights of the EU's three carriages(England, France and Germany) for the leading power of EU hinder the realization of CFSP, the differences among the EU countries on the common defense and the problem of lacking powerful military guarantee and financial supports. In addition, CFSP is also faced with the external challenge that USA hinders EU from realizing the policy. The fourth section discusses the relations between EU and the chief nations in the world and the relation between EU and NATO restricted within CFSP. The fundamental nature of the EU—America relation is still an ally relation. However, there still exists contradictions and differences between the two sides, but these are nonantagonistic. In security and defense, USA and EU have a relation of leading and being led. The relation between EU and China takes the cooperation as the principal aspect, but there still exists contradictions and differences in the two sides' relation.And in general, EU and Chin...