Is a Common European Foreign & Security Policy Feasible &/or Desirable
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- Category: Politics
- Date Submitted: 03/07/2010 02:50 AM
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Is a Common European Foreign & Security Policy Feasible and/or Desirable
The European Union has progressed from a trade agreement on coal and steel formed in 1951, to the highly integrated organisation that is today which includes a single currency, a European parliament and common laws. Therefore it would seem logical that a common foreign and security policy would be a natural progression for the European union, however there can be much debate over the feasibility of it and whether the end result and consequences would indeed actually be desirable. Nonetheless it is not like the European Union has not overcome problems before whilst introducing new policies and measures, for example with the Euro and having monetary policy for all Euro member states. Therefore from previous experience the European Union has had with what it has encountered and its substantial progression suggests that in theory a common foreign and security policy could be enabled and made a success. However there are many obstacles that could make this ambitious policy totally infeasible.
In 1970 the first step of European Political Cooperation was taken, when there was an intergovernmental network between the foreign ministries of the member states whose aim was to coordinate civilian diplomacy within the Atlantic security framework. Over the years to the present day it has progressed hugely and transformed the workings of national foreign ministries by gradually becoming more and more involved. However one of the major obstacles to a common foreign and security policy, states putting their own national security policy into one central body has continued to make it questionable just how feasible it would be to introduce a true common foreign security policy.
As mentioned above for a common foreign security policy to work, states would have to pass their own national security to a central body, who, rather than doing what is best for one state, would do what is most beneficial to the...
The European Union has progressed from a trade agreement on coal and steel formed in 1951, to the highly integrated organisation that is today which includes a single currency, a European parliament and common laws. Therefore it would seem logical that a common foreign and security policy would be a natural progression for the European union, however there can be much debate over the feasibility of it and whether the end result and consequences would indeed actually be desirable. Nonetheless it is not like the European Union has not overcome problems before whilst introducing new policies and measures, for example with the Euro and having monetary policy for all Euro member states. Therefore from previous experience the European Union has had with what it has encountered and its substantial progression suggests that in theory a common foreign and security policy could be enabled and made a success. However there are many obstacles that could make this ambitious policy totally infeasible.
In 1970 the first step of European Political Cooperation was taken, when there was an intergovernmental network between the foreign ministries of the member states whose aim was to coordinate civilian diplomacy within the Atlantic security framework. Over the years to the present day it has progressed hugely and transformed the workings of national foreign ministries by gradually becoming more and more involved. However one of the major obstacles to a common foreign and security policy, states putting their own national security policy into one central body has continued to make it questionable just how feasible it would be to introduce a true common foreign security policy.
As mentioned above for a common foreign security policy to work, states would have to pass their own national security to a central body, who, rather than doing what is best for one state, would do what is most beneficial to the...