European security and defense policy

In the European integration process of which its intellectual foundationsdate back to the medieval age, the first concrete steps were taken after theFirst World War. Although Europeans, who did not want to experience thedevastating effects of the war again, had introduced ideas like ?UnitedEurope?, ?United States of Europe?; they could not prevent a new World Wardue to the hostilities between one another that had not been completelyeliminated.The main integration attempts in Europe began after the Second WorldWar. The European Economic Community founded by six Western Europeancountries was the first step towards the organization named as the EuropeanUnion today. However, Europeans could not completely achieve success inthe political field in comparison to their success in the economic field. Theendeavors like the European Political Cooperation and the EuropeanDefense Community towards the integration in the political and security areasin Europe have always been inconclusive. Moreover, the Western EuropeanUnion (WEU) founded in that period had also become nonfunctional, asNATO was the major organization in the defense of Europe.Europeans who had ensured their securities during the Cold War Erathanks to the NATO and accordingly to U.S.A., started to question the role ofNATO after the downfall of the Iron Curtain. While some European countriesargued that NATO had no longer a function and the European securityshould be exercised by the Europeans, some countries defended that NATOwas the major defense organization and if it kept up with the changingconditions, this organization should continue to ensure the defense ofEurope.The most significant step in the political unity in Europe had beenprobably the Maastricht Treaty signed on February 7, 1992. According to thisTreaty, Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) had become a?Community Policy?. Moreover, WEU had also been incorporated into the EUsystem. With the Treaty of Amsterdam signed on June 17, 1997, CFSP hadbeen particularly developed. However, despite all these efforts, the Europeancountries had not achieved satisfactory progress in the political and securityareas.The main milestone in the formation of European security policy was theSaint-Malo Declaration signed between France and United Kingdom onDecember 4, 1998. In the Saint-Malo Summit, United Kingdom changed itspolicy against the development of a defense and security policy of the EUindependent from the Atlantic Alliance, which it had followed for a long time.The most significant change brought by the Saint-Malo Summit was thedecision of EU?s having the capacity to interfere in the international crisis,which is supported by military force and which can act autonomously. Thus,EU had taken a very important step towards taking an operation decisionregarding an international crisis and implementing it independent from NATO.The decisions taken in the Saint-Malo Summit and the attitude change ofUnited Kingdom have formed EU?s policy to constitute an independentsecurity structure in the subsequent summits. In the treaties signedafterwards, it has been declared that the European Security and DefensePolicy (ESDP) is the extension of the CFSP.By looking at the level reached today, it is hard to say that ESDP hasbeen managed successfully. EU can not undertake a large-scale operationwithout the capacity and capabilities of NATO. The differences of opinionsamong the member countries, budget problems, military incapacity and lackof the political will are the main obstacles for the ESDP.Although European countries want to ensure their defense and securityseparate from NATO, they have understood that it would be only interferingsmall-scale problems, when their capabilities are taken into account. In thiscontext, it is hard to say that Europe can ensure its security independent fromNATO in the short and medium term. However, it is necessary to emphasizethat European countries expressed their will in this issue no matter how slowthe process is. After they overcome their other problems, they will deal withthe issue of defense and security.