POLITICS and POLICIES
Europe, a real heavyweight in international policy by Professor Dr. Jean-Dominique Giuliani, Chairman, Robert Schumann Foundation, Paris
With 23 per cent of the worldwide GDP, the EU is undoubtedly the most important economic and commercial actor, but it has to think about the means to convert its economic power into being a real heavyweight in international policy. In 2007, the EU was the top exporter in the world with about 17 per cent of the global exchange of goods. Since its latest enlargement in 2007, the EU has become the hugest area of democratic stability and prosperity in the world. Its GDP, which was 37 per cent inferior to the US one in 1957, has become nowadays superior by 6 per cent. The common market is a huge success: 500 million inhabitants with the highest average by purchase power. Finally, the Euro, which is an incredible asset of economic and political weight, is the second currency after the dollar. Nevertheless, Europe fails to be considered as a “global actor” on the international scene. This weakness results mainly from political difficulties. The EU is made of multiple Nation States which have difficulties to accept global long term European interests. This is nonetheless crucial as regards the economic growth of Asian countries led by China.
Europe on the way to a strategic actor The materialization of a European capacity in crisis management is the result of two common evolutions: the growth of the economic and commercial competences of the EU since 1957 and the appearance of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) in the Maastricht treaty (1992). The Treaty of Amsterdam (1999) provides new tasks to be included in the Treaty on the EU known as „Petersberg tasks“*. In the same time, to make its diplomacy more powerful and visible, the EU created the position of High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy who works as a coordinator between EU countries to shape and carry out the EU foreign policy. But the real start of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) is the establishment of the “global objective” during the Helsinki European Council (one year after the Franco-British Saint-Malo Summit in 1998) that provided the EU with autonomous civil and military capacities. Finally, in December 2002, the EU and NATO signed a strategic partnership agreement on crisis management called „Berlin Plus“ allowing the Union to have an immediate access to NATO’s logistical and planning resources, including intelligence, when NATO is not involved itself.
Dr. Jean-Dominique Giuliani Jean-Dominique Giuliani was born in 1956. He has a degree in law from the Institute of Political Studies and was nominated in 2000 Chairman of the Robert Schuman Foundation, of which he was one of the founders. 1981 - 1992 Secretary General of the Centrist Union of the Senate in Paris; 1992 - 1998 Director of the cabinet of Mr René Monory, President of the Senate. Designated Council of the Council of State (1995), he resigned to continue as the President of the Senate. Director for the General Management of the TNS Sofres, Paris 1998 - 2001. 2002 founded JD-G.Com International Consultants and is currently Special Adviser for the European Commission (2006). Jean-Dominique Giuliani has published among others „Pour l’Europe réunie“ - 2 tome-collection „Les Notes“ by the Robert Schuman Foundation (2002).
ment are financed with the CFSP budget (300 million Euro in 2008 against 62 million Euro in 2005), which is a part of the Union budget, military operations have to be financed directly by Members States but only ten per cent of these expenses are pooled and shared out according to the Member States’ GDP. EU presence abroad in 23 successful missions From 2003 to 2008, the EU set up 23 missions which show its significant presence abroad. Six of them where important military operations (for example in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Chad). The scope of ESDP missions can largely vary (from 10 persons in Georgia between 2005 and 2007 to 7000 in Bosnia since 2004). Atalanta- a new dimension of coopration The Union recently came to a new level in intervening for the first time in the naval field during the “Atalanta” operation. All these operations have either been planned autonomously or with the help of NATO’s resources. From time to time they may even be built in complement to NATO’s, the United States’ or the African Union’s own operations. This diversity underlines Europe’s capacity to intervene whatever the context is and its various competences despite the lack of an integrated and autonomous decision-making body.
The EU’s challenge ESDP has become a financial issue The emergence of a strong European Defence Policy is a financial issue as well. Whereas civil operations of crisis manage-
The lack of a unique body responsible for the security and defence policy is undoubtedly a fundamental obstacle to an efficient and sustainable international policy. The competence
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