The Euopean Union's growing international role: closing the capability-expectations gap?

Abstract

Europeans want the EU to play a bigger international role but while the expectations of citizens remain high the Union's capabilities have only gradually improved. Nearly a decade after the CFSP was established at Maastricht, and despite playing a more assertive global and regional role, the EU continues to move forward at a slow pace in foreign and security policy. In other areas such as trad (WTO/Doha), environment (Kyoto) and development policy (Cotonou) the record is more positive. Although the EU’s involvement in Yugoslavia was a difficult learning experience, its obvious weakness in the Kosovo military campaign accelerated moves towards an EU military capability (ESDP). More recently, the EU has become the principal stabilising actor in the Balkans, a role it has played for some time in central and eastern Europe. The events of 11 September 2001 posed a major challenge for the Union. The EU was swift to express its solidarity with the US and rush through a range of measures largely in the sphere of justice and home affairs designed to combat terrorism. Although, the military campaign against terrorism exposed tensions between the larger and smaller member states and the institutions, the EU readily agreed to provide the lion's share of the peacekeeping forces for Afghanistan and the funds for its reconstruction. The Amsterdam treaty led to modest improvements in the CFSP machinery but there is renewed pressure for further reforms to ensure that CFSP remains effective in an enlarged Union of 25 member states and to strengthen the EU's voice in the international arena. Reforms are under discussion in the Convention and proposals for change will be forwarded to the IGC. It is unlikely, however, that there will be major changes either in the treaties or in the modus operandi.Gradualism will remain the main characteristic of the CFSP. In the past decade, the capability-expectations gap has been narrowed but not closed.