Title: Germany’s value to ESDP and European defense cooperation
Abstract: European efforts to create a common Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) as part of the European Union’s (EU) wish to play to stronger political role in world affairs are paradox. While officials in Brussels, on the one hand, are eagerly developing scenarios how the EU could lead its first international mission abroad, its member countries, on the other hand, cannot agree on ways to drastically improve defense spending or defense cooperation. Although the latter is a goal of European integration clearly headed for the long run, it needs to be addressed now. Across Europe, too little is spent on defense so that the EU would be able to undertake much more than peacekeeping missions like Task Force Fox in Macedonia. In order to bridge that gap and to safeguard the success of prospective and immediate operations, the EU and NATO are working closely to arrange the Berlin-plus agreement which would allow the EU to drawn on NATO military assets in any given crisis. Should things turn nasty, for instance in Macedonia, the EU could make use of planning capabilities and military tools that it still does not have. So far, however, this issue is beset by struggles between Turkey and Greece, which both disagree on the Berlin-plus arrangements. While the Spanish EU Presidency came close to solving the problem this year, the Greek government refused to accept a proposal made during the Seville summit in June that concluded Spain’s six-month presidency. This came at no surprise since Greece is next on deciding over ESDP matters. Its presidency begins January 1st, 2003 but since the acting presidency –Denmark- is not participating in the ESDP, Greece is already mandated to make decisions.
Publication Year: 2002
Publication Date: 2002-09-16
Language: en
Type: article
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