The threat of a major military conflict in Europe has significantly decreased. Nowadays, the main risks and threats to the democratic community are rooted in the mixture of terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and unstable or undemocratic regimes.

Taking into consideration the democratic community’s growing role in conflict prevention and crisis management, these challenges should be addressed as part of a coherent and comprehensive approach, having at its core the principle of international solidarity. On the European continent, further EU enlargement along with NATO’s will remain the key security-building processes. The development of subregional cooperation, as well as progress in certain crisis management systems, has added significant value to these main processes.

The Balkan wars revealed Europe’s shortcomings in coping with conflicts but, all at once, they turned into a powerful incentive for the EU to assume a major role in providing security and stability. One of the most dynamic areas of the current European project, the security and defence component, has developed considerably since its launching, particularly during the last five years. The twofold dimension has seen impressive progress: internal institutional adjustment and streng-thening of the EU’s operational capacity in several theatres of operations.