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European Union
The European Union (EU) had its roots in creating free trade
within a small area of Western Europe, but has since gone
on to symbolize European economic strength and 'soft power'
leadership in the post-Cold War era. The EU now addresses
cooperative threat reduction, non-proliferation, counter-terrorism,
trade reform, environmental security, crisis management, and
justice, to name only a few security-related policy categories,
and its membership spans 27 countries.
The EU has an intricate web of structures that have attempted
to address conflict prevention, civilian and military crisis
management, including emerging peacekeeping operations. The
EU has also been at the heart of some disputes with the United
States over 'burden sharing' within NATO and the potential
for EU competition with the Alliance. While some see the European
Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) as an attempt by Europe
to develop an appropriate military capability for the 21st
century, others see such developments moving the EU in a direction
that would be more independent of the United States and NATO.
BASIC has followed these developments and debates. Below
are articles on these issues, as well as links to external
articles and summaries of key EU institutions.
BASIC Publications
What Happens When A
White Elephant Meets a Paper Tiger? The Prospective Sale of
Eurofighter Typhoon Aircraft to Saudi Arabia and the EU Code
of Conduct on Arms Exports, BASIC Paper 46, 23 December
2005.
EU and US co-operation
on arms export controls in a post 9/11 world, (PDF). Joint
BASIC and Saferworld report on the expert roundtable held
23 January 2003 in Washington, DC. Released September 2003.
Also see the Web summary
of the roundtable discussion.
European Common
Foreign and Security Policy and NATO: Can they Co-exist?,
BASIC Notes 25 June 2003
EU-US Summit, BASIC Briefing
24 June 2003
The EU and the
OSCE in the War on Terrorism BASIC Note, 5 September 2002
Civilian Crisis
Management BASIC hosts European experts and policy makers,
Fall 2001 Read the
report, March 2002 (available only in Adobe PDF format)
The EU Rapid Reaction
Force: Europe Takes on a New Security Challenge BASIC
Paper #37, August 2001
A Conflict Prevention
Service of the European Union (COPS) Research Report 2000.2,
June 2000 (available only in Adobe PDF format)
Blair Must Seek Middle Ground
on Future EU Force 20 February 2001
EU Plan for Rapid
Reaction Facility: A Small but Important First Step
analysis and Official Proposal for a Council Regulation
Creating a Rapid Reaction Facility, 9 May 2000
European Security - Sharks and Minnows
Off Helsinki, analysis of draft documents for European
Council meeting by the Berlin Information-center for Transatlantic
Security (BITS), 2 December 1999
EU
Defence: Drafts of Helsinki Decisions Revealed Draft
reports from the Finnish EU Presidency for the 10-11 December
European Council meeting, 6 December 1999
ESDI: Right
Debate, Wrong Conclusions 4 August 1999
EU-US
Summit Reaffirms Commitment to Stability Pact 21 June
1999
EU Takes Step
Towards Common Security and Defence Policy
3 June 1999
• Declaration
of the European Council
EU
and Russia Rescue NATO's Doomed Strategy 3 June 1999
Controlling
the Gun-Runners: Proposals for EU Action to Regulate Arms
Brokering and Shipping Agents
Highlights the lack of oversight and regulation of arms brokering
and shipping arranged by EU residents. Recommendations for
closing the systemic loopholes include establishing EU-wide
agreement on which activities to control, monitoring agents
and their activities, and striving to internationalize any
EU control system. BASIC/Saferworld Briefing Paper, February
1999
EU Institutions
Europa
The European Union on-line
The European Parliament
Consists of 785 representatives from the 27 Member States.
The European Parliament is elected every five years and has
steadily acquired greater influence and power through a series
of treaties. These treaties, particularly the 1992 Maastricht
Treaty and the 1997 Amsterdam Treaty, have transformed the
European Parliament from a purely consultative assembly into
a legislative parliament, exercising powers similar to those
of the national parliaments.
The European Council
Consists of Heads of State or Government of the 27 Member
States, and the President of the European Commission. It sets
out the broad policy guidelines of the Union and, as part
of European political cooperation, discusses topical international
issues. Its meetings take place twice a year, in the country
that holds the presidency of the Council of Ministers.
The Council of
the European Union
The Council is composed of the Ministers of the 27 Member
States. Serves as the EU legislative body, in co-decision
with the European Parliament; coordinates the general economic
policies of the Member States; makes decisions necessary for
defining and implementing common foreign and security policy,
on the basis of general guidelines established by the European
Council. Which ministers attend each Council meeting varies
according to the subject discussed. The Council is presided
over for a period of six months by each Member State in turn,
in accordance with a pre-established quota.
The European Commission
Consists of 27 Commissioners appointed, subject to approval
by the European Parliament, for five years. It runs European
common policies, implements the budget and ensures compliance
with EU treaties.
Delegation of the European
Commission to the United States
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