European security and defence policy: Independent pillar or NATO component. Delineating the role of the European Union in assuring the security of the European region

The years spanning the Cold War allowed for the states currently comprising the European Union (EU) to neglect their security and defence capabilities. The reliance on the superpowers facilitated a situation in which the EU members pursued economic and political co-operation while allowing their defence budgets to fall and their capabilities to grow arcane. The end of the Cold War has ended the superpower balance of power relationship and exposed EU members' lack of military capabilities. The Europeans' participation in the Kosovo war of 1999 further illustrates this point. In light of these events. Europeans have made efforts to improve their capability to better manage security of the region. Despite the rhetoric surrounding European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) and European Security and Defence Identity (ESDI), actual capabilities are far behind the tasks that the Europeans have set out for themselves. A host of political, economic and strategic elements contribute to the present state of ESDP/ESDI. This study assesses the factors responsible for EU's meagre security and defence capabilities and suggests possible solutions to them.