European Union Security Policy: Historical Retrospection

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European Union Security Policy: Historical Retrospection

Scientific problem and its importance

security policy defence direction

In the modern globalized world the European Union faces serious challenges that question the very existence of the Union. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states, the inviolability of borders and the peaceful settlement of disputes are key elements of the European security order. These principles apply to all states, both within and beyond the EU's borders. However, peace and stability in Europe are no longer a given. Russia's violation of international law and the destabilisation of Ukraine, on top of protracted conflicts in the Black Sea region, have challenged the European security order. Europe has become more unstable and more insecure. The crises within and beyond its borders are affecting directly EU citizens' lives. The European project brought peace, prosperity and democracy. However, nowadays, the European security order has been violated, while terrorism and violence plague North Africa and the Middle East, as well as Europe itself. At the same time, global growth, mobility, and technological progress, the EU deepening partnerships enable the Union to thrive, and allow ever more people to escape poverty and live longer and freer lives [8].

The issues of the EU security, its institutional basis were studied by B. Tonra, T. Christiansen, S. Marsh, G. Macenstein, J. Peterson, M. Shackleton, P. Gill etc. The following Ukrainian scientists researched the mentioned problem: Ye. Makarenko, N. Belousova, V. Hovorukha, I. Hrytsak, H. Nemyria, L. Prokopenko and so on. Howerver, we consider it necessary to offer a historical retrospection of the EU security policy evolution.

The goal of the paper is to research the development of the EU security policy, its moving forces and results.

The analysis of the studies. The EU Common Security and Defense Policy is the operations arm of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy. The member countries formally agreed to begin work on an integrated EU security and defense policy in 1999. However the preconditions took quite a long period.

One of the first who spoke in favour of European collective security was R. N. Coudenhove-Kalergi. In his Pan-Europa, 1923, underlining the League of Nations weakness in conflicts prevention and conflicts solution, he stressed on the necessity for the states of Europe to unite in order to avoid being conquered by the USSR or bought by the USA [9].

In 1950 the Pleven Plan suggested the creation of a supranational European Army as part of a European Defense Community. The European Army was supposed to be composed of military units from the member states, and directed by a council of the member states' ministers. Despite the central role for France, the French Assembly refused to ratify the Treaty as it feared the loss of national sovereignty in security and defense. The US had a strong interest in a West German army, so the Pleven Plan was modified and in May 1952, with French support the new European Defence Community treaty was signed, but the plan never went into effect.

The idea of a common defense policy for Europe dates back to 1948 when the UK, France, and the Benelux signed the Treaty of Brussels. The agreement included a mutual defense clause laying down the foundations for the creation of the Western European Union (WEU) in 1954 - a defensive alliance, which remained until the late 1990s, together with NATO, the principal forum for consultation and dialogue on security and defense in Europe. The core objectives of the WEU were defined as follows:

1) to create a firm basis for European economic recovery in Western Europe;

2) to offer mutual assistance to member countries in resisting any policy of external aggression;

3) to promote unity and encourage positive integration in Europe. Between

1954 and 1984, the WEU was mostly used as a forum for consultation and discussion, making significant contributions to the dialogue on European security and defence [7].

After the end of the Cold War and the next conflicts in the Balkans, it became clear that the EU needed to assume its responsibilities in the field of conflict prevention and crisis management. The conditions under which military units could be deployed were agreed by the WEU Council in 1992 in Petersberg Tasks which included humanitarian and rescue tasks, peacekeeping tasks and tasks of combat forces in crisis management, including peacemaking, joint disarmament operations,

military advice and assistance tasks, post-conflict stabilisation tasks [6]. In 1999 these tasks were integrated in the Treaty of Amsterdam and the post of the High Representative for Common Foreign and Security

Policy was created to allow the Union to speak with “one face and one voice” on foreign policy matters.

The 1992 Treaty on European Union outlines the broad set of principles that guide the EU's external policies and actions in the sphere of security and defence, specifically,

• to safeguard the EU values, fundamental interests, security, independence, and integrity;

• to consolidate and support democracy, the rule of law, human rights and the principles of international law;

• to preserve peace, prevent conflicts and strengthen international security, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, with the principles of the Helsinki Final Act and with the aims of the Charter of Paris:

• to promote an international system based on stronger multilateral cooperation and good global governance etc [4].

In its Declaration on strengthening the common European policy on security and defence, the Cologne European Council of June 1999 agreed to transfer from Western European Union to the European Union the responsibility of decision-making and the capacity for action in the area of the Petersberg tasks [3].

In 2002 the Berlin Plus Agreement gave the EU access to NATO assets and capabilities, specifically to develop cooperation to combat terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The Berlin plus, being a comprehensive package of agreements between NATO and EU, serves as the foundation for practical work between the EU and the NATO [2].

In 2003 the former High Representative J. Solana was tasked by the Member States to develop a Security Strategy for Europe which set out three broad strategic objectives for EU policymakers:

1) the EU should take necessary actions to address a considerable list of global challenges and security threats, including regional conflicts, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, state failure, organized crime, disease, and destabilizing poverty;

2) the EU should focus particularly on building regional security in its neighborhood: the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Mediterranean region, and the Middle East;

3) the EU should seek the construction of a rules-based, multilateral world order in which international law, peace, and security are ensured by strong regional and global institutions [1].

The Lisbon Treaty, 2009 became a cornerstone in the development of the Common Security and Defence Policy. The treaty includes both a mutual assistance and a solidarity clause and allowed for the creation of the European External Action Service under the authority of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy/VicePresident of the European Commission. The two distinct functions of the newly created post give the High Representative the possibility to bring all the necessary EU assets together and to apply a “comprehensive approach” to EU crisis management [5].

A Global Strategy for the European Union's Foreign and Security Policy, adopted in June 2016, states that the European Union will promote peace and guarantee the security of its citizens and territory; its security at home depends on peace beyond its borders. To promote the security and prosperity of the citizens and to safeguard EU democracies, the Union will manage interdependence, with all the opportunities, challenges and fears it brings about, by engaging the wider world. To promote shared interests, adhering to clear principles, the EU will pursue five priorities, namely [8]:

1. The Security of the Union: terrorism, hybrid threats, economic volatility, climate change and energy insecurity endanger EU citizens and territory. The EU obliges to enhance its efforts on defence, cyber, counterterrorism, energy and strategic communications. Member States must translate their commitments to mutual assistance and solidarity enshrined in the Treaties into action. The EU will step up its contribution to Europe's collective security, working closely with its partners, beginning with NATO.

2. State and Societal Resilience to Union's East and South: under the current EU enlargement policy, a credible accession process grounded in strict and fair conditionality is vital to enhance the resilience of countries in the Western Balkans and of Turkey. Under the European Neighbourhood Policy the EU “soft” power can spur transformation in the countries. The EU will support different paths to resilience, targeting the most acute cases of governmental, economic, societal and climate/energy fragility, as well as develop more effective migration policies for Europe and its partners.

3. Integrated Approach to Conflicts: violent conflicts threaten the EU shared vital interests. The EU will act at all stages of the conflict cycle, acting promptly on prevention, responding responsibly and decisively to crises, investing in stabilisation, and avoiding premature disengagement when a new crisis erupts. Sustainable peace can only be achieved through comprehensive agreements rooted in broad, deep and durable regional and international partnerships, which the EU will foster and support.

4. Cooperative Regional Orders: the EU will support cooperative regional orders worldwide as voluntary forms of regional governance offer states and peoples the opportunity to better manage security concerns, reap the economic gains of globalisation, express more fully cultures and identities, and project influence in world affairs.

5. Global Governance for the 21st Century: global order based on international law ensures human rights, sustainable development and lasting access to the global commons. The EU will strive for a strong UN as the bedrock of the multilateral rules-based order, and develop globally coordinated responses with international and regional organisations, states and non-state actors [8].

Under the EU Global Strategy, 2016 in order to promote European shared interests, adhering to clear principles, the EU claims to pursue five broad priorities:

1. Security and Defence: when it comes to collective defence, NATO remains the primary framework for most Member States. The European security and defence efforts should enable the EU to act autonomously while also contributing to and undertaking actions in cooperation with NATO.

2. Counter-terrorism: major terrorist attacks have been carried out on European soil and beyond. This entails shared alerts on violent extremism, terrorist networks and foreign terrorist fighters, as well as monitoring and removing unlawful content from the media. The measures will include: enhanced efforts on security of supply, the protection of critical infrastructure, and strengthening the voluntary framework for cyber crisis management; work on education, communication, culture, youth and sport to counter violent extremism; counter-radicalisation by broadening EU partnerships with civil society, social actors, the private sector and the victims of terrorism, as well as through inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue.

3. Cyber Security: the EU will strengthen the technological capabilities aimed at mitigating threats and the resilience of critical infrastructure, networks and services, and reducing cybercrime. It means fostering innovative information and communication technology systems which guarantee the availability and integrity of data, while ensuring security within the European digital space through appropriate policies on the location of data storage and the certification of digital products and services.

4. Energy Security: the EU will seek to diversify its energy sources, routes and suppliers, particularly in the gas domain, as well as to promote the highest nuclear safety standards in third countries.

5. Strategic Communications: the EU will enhance its strategic communications, investing in and joiningup public diplomacy across different fields, in order to connect EU foreign policy with citizens and better communicate it to its partners. It will offer rapid, factual rebuttals of disinformation as well as continue fostering an open and inquiring media environment within and beyond the EU, also working with local players and through social media [8].

Conclusions and further research prospects. So, the elaboration of the EU security policy has passed quite a long and complicated process and is still in the development and improvement trying to meet all the modern global security challenges. The NATO has been and still remains a reliable partner in defence and security. The issues of cooperation with partner countries in the sphere of security and defence are deemed to be appropriate for further studies.

Resources and Literature

1. A Secure Europe in a Better World--European Security Strategy, December 12,2003, [Electronic resource]. - Available at:http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cmsUpload/78367.pdf

2. Berlin Plus agreement [Electronic resource]. - Available at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2004_2009/documents/dv/berlinplus_/b erlinplus_en.pdf

3. Cologne European Council Declaration on the common policy on security and defence (4 June 1999) [Electronic resource]. - Available at: http://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/cologne_european_council_dedaration_on_the_common_policy_on_security_and_defence_4_june_1999-en-ee393bf3-d96f-46b8-8897-15546a0e1c0d.html

4. Consolidated Version of the Treaty on European Union, Article 21.2[Electronic resource]. - Available at:http://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:2bf140bf-a3f8-4ab2-b506- fd71826e6da6.0023.02/DOC_2&format=PDF

5. Lisbon Treaty. Article 42 [Electronic resource]. - Available at: http://www.Hsbon-treaty.org/wcm/the-Hsbon-treaty/treaty-on-european-union- and-comments/title-5-general-provisions-on-the-unions-external-action-and- specific-provisions/chapter-2-specific-provisions-on-the-common-foreign-and- security-policy/section-2-provisions-on-the-common-security-and-defence- policy/129-article-42.html

6. Petersberg tasks [Electronic resource]. - Available at: http://eur- lex. europa. eu/summary/glo ssary/petersberg_tasks.html

7. Shaping of a Common Security and Defence Policy [Electronic resource]. - Available at: https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters- homepage/5388/shaping-common-security-and-defence-policy_en

8. Shared Vision, Common Action: A Stronger Europe. A Global Strategy

for the European Union's Foreign And Security Policy [Electronic resource]. - Availableat:

http://www.eeas.europa.eu/archives/docs/top_stories/pdf/eugs_review_web.pdf

9. Панъевропейское двоение Рихарда Куденхове-Калерги в послевоенной Европе [Электронный ресурс]. - Режим доступа: https://superinfru/view_helpstud.php?id=5367

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