The common foreign and security policy of the European Union: The effect of normative power on policy development

Initiatives for European Communities have been initiated by circles emphasizing the importance of economic integration rather than predicating European integration movements on a political basis. The structure, formed due to both economic and security concerns, was united under a single roof with the fusion treaty in 1967 and renamed the European communities (EC). With Maastricht Treaty signed on 1992, the exigency to produce a holistic policy in the fields of security, foreign policy and defense has emerged for European Union (EU - Union), which has already initiated its economic integration. It is observed that the EU tends to establish security through normative power both in the treaties, in critical summits, and in military and civilian operations in the field. Although member states share a common European identity, strategic culture, individual defense policies and other external factors are hurdle for integration, particularly in the field of defense. In this study, it is asserted through examples that the EU tends to create a political identity through normative values before the international community, especially in the political field just like in economic, social and cultural issues.