The Portuguese presidency of the European Union was crowned by the signature of the Reform Treaty in Lisbon on 13 December 2007. As far as Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) are concerned, this new treaty incorporates the provisions of the Constitutional Treaty. In parallel, new ESDP operations have been launched in Chad and the Central African Republic, and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while missions are being prepared for Kosovo and Guinea-Bissau. The ESDP operation begun in June 2007 in Afghanistan is in its deployment phase. The process of strengthening ESDP is continuing, notably with the launch of a new civil objective with a 2010 time-scale. Political and military cooperation between the EU and Africa have been boosted by a strategic partnership approved in December.
ESDP in the Second Half of 2007
In the second half of 2007, after Germany and before Slovenia, Portugal took over the presidency of the European Union. The commitment of this country to the construction of Europe, and in particular European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), is no longer in question. Portugal participates regularly in operations undertaken in this context, including those with a military dimension, and its contribution to the panoply of forces and the strengthening of civil and military capabilities is significant. Overall, its role in the service of ESDP demonstrates real dedication to the idea of a more independent Europe in international affairs. And yet the transatlantic link and the NATO dimension are not neglected. On the contrary, the Portuguese presidency proclaimed its objective of deepening the existing collaboration between ESDP and NATO.(1)
The agenda for the presidency in the second half of 2007 was dominated by the relaunch of European unification following the failure of the Constitutional Treaty in 2005. In this respect, the signing of the Lisbon Treaty on 13 December 2007 represents a genuine advance, even though the result was obtained at the price of some concessions. These included the abandonment of symbols (references to a flag and an anthem, the title of ‘foreign minister’) and the continuation of a certain legal complexity.(2) ESDP occupies a privileged position in this Treaty because a new section is devoted to it in the chapter on CFSP. Although the ratification process of the Treaty is still ongoing, security and defence policy, as the operational component of CFSP, will be fully integrated into the basic law of the Union.
ESDP in the Lisbon Treaty
The Reform Treaty simplifies the basic structure of the European Union, which is now a unique legal entity. The distinction between the European Union and the European Community has disappeared, as has the architecture of the ‘three pillars’. Agreements with third countries and international organisations are signed in the name of the Union. The coherence of external European action finds itself strengthened accordingly.
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