Session 3 Flashcards
Decision making and effectiveness in EUFP
Why is the EUFP in need of a reboot?
The EU’s foreign and security policy is in urgent need of a reboot. The EU’s current approach to foreign policy was designed for a world at peace, where multilateralism was strong and global rules and norms were upheld. That world is gone. We now live in an age of contestation and growing geopolitical rivalry where territorial conflicts proliferateand international institutions are in crisis.
Decision making cfsp
Proposal by1/HR/VP or2/ HR/VP and the Commission together3/a member stateCouncil of Ministers or the European Council takes a decision by unanimity
Important institutions
EUCO: European CouncilThe Foreign Affairs Council of MinistersThe Political Security Committee: from 2001-The Commission: President, DGs, service for foreign policy instrumentsEEAS and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security*The European Parliament
EUCO
Heads of State and GovernmentAdopts common strategy, principles and guidelinesProvides strategic objectives and policy guidelines through conclusions of summits, also for other key aspects of external action (e.g. enlargement)Appoints the HR/VP with qualified majority‘engaged in policy making like never before’‘a more active top player in the hierarchy’‘sensitive, controversial issues go directly to the EUCO’*Disengagement with foreign ministers (Maurer and Wright 2021:865-866)
Some ideas for EUCO
Right now, when it deals with security issues at all, it does so in a haphazard manner, limiting itself to issuing statements on the crisis du jour, or some bland conclusions that float at too high a level of abstraction to make a difference. Instead, its role on security and defence should become more operational and structured. Turn the European Council for the Council for the defence of EuropeFirst day of every meeting: security issues
Foreign Affairs council
Foreign Affairs Council: Main decision-making body on foreign policy and defense (but see Maurer and Wright 2021)Consists of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and when appropriate, Ministers of Defense, development, European integration, Trade ministersMeets once a monthChaired by the High Representative, except when discussing trade issuesResponsible for EU external action, includingForeign policyDefense and securityTradeDevelopment cooperation*Humanitarian aid
The council: political and security committee (psc)
Ambassador level Council body: permanent, Brussels basedUnder the responsibility of the Council and High Representative (but see arguments for different levels of activism in Maurer and Wright 2021)Coordination meetings with EP‘Has been central to the institutionalization of EU foreign and security policy making’ (Maurer and Wright 2021)Monitors international situation in areas covered by CFSPContributes to policy formulationPolitical control and strategic direction crisis management operationsVenue for consultation and socialization (Juncos and Pomorska2006)‘a site of dynamic interaction between the member states’ (Maurer and Wright 2021)
PSC as a forum for agreement
SC ambassadors understand that they are only as powerful as their compromises and if they cannot agree there may well not be an EU position
Further bodies of the council
Political and security group (PMG) deals with the preparation of PSC meetings, implementation, partnership with NATOEuropean Military Committee: Chiefs of defense: highest military body within the Council (since 2001), advisesthe Political and Security CommitteeCommittee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (CIVCOM) advises PolSecon civilian aspects
European Commission
High Representative for foreign and security policy is also Vice President of the Commission chairs a meeting once per month of all Commissioners with international issues in their portfolio*Service for Foreign Policy Instruments: operational expenditures in crucial areas of EU external action
The Juncker commission
The Juncker Commission already took some important stepsGeopolitical elements added by the von der Leyen 1stCommission: Global Gateway , Global Human Rights Sanctions RegimeA more strategic approach to tradeThe Group for external coordinationRussia war: Commission prepared sanctions already in December 2021; took charge of sanctions (Baracaniand Kassim2024)
the geopolitical commission
Trade measures: e.g.the international procurement instrument; the anti coercion instrument; corporate sustainability due diligence directive to exclude forced labourTrade defencemeasures: investment screening frameworkMeasures to strengthen the EU’s open strategic autonomy: Critical Raw materials regulation*Very successful in extending its influence and expanding EU competence in security, defense and the protection of the EU economic interests
European commission competences under community areas
Trade policyEnlargementDemocracy promotionNeighbourhoodpolicyDevelopment cooperation*Humanitarian assistance
The high rep/VP
Overall steering of CFSP and CSDP with proposals to shape the policy and ensure the implementation of decisions taken by the European Council and the CouncilBuilding consensus among the member statesResponsible for operational conduct of EU missions and their prioritiesEnsuring consistency and coherence of EU external actionEngages with political dialogues with third partiesLeads the EU’s diplomatic networkHeads the European Defence Agency and the EU institute for security studies
European External Action Service
The EEAS established 2010 to overcome the artificial separation between external economic and foreign policy relations of the EUcoordination problems between the Commission and Council secretariat*address the discontinuity between Council of Ministers’ presidencies *All civilian and military crisis management structures transferred from the Council Secretariat
What does the EEAS support?
Provides support for the High Representative in CFSP based tasksEEAS heads the EU Delegations and representation around the world (art 221 TEU)Delegations cooperate with EU MS embassies and report weekly: a global network to rely on (Maurer and Wright 2021)Chairs the Political and Security Committee (PSC)Includes a number of security and defense relevant bodies
Dancing partners EEAS and PSC
Relations between EEAS and PSC now represent the most significant component of day-to-day CFSP negotiations *Cooperation almost on a daily basis *Natural interlocutor (Maurer and Wright 2021:862).
The european parliament
No formal co-decision powers in CFSP, HR regularly to consult Parliament on CFSP matters, debates on CFSP twice a yearConsultation on military and defense matters: Joint Consultation Meetings (JCM) with members of the PSCCFSP budget approvalDecision-making in trade (co-decision)Approving association and trade agreements (assent)Resolutions (non-legislative) and debates*Sakharov prize
Parliament consultations
Since 2010: a designated group of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) meets counterparts from the Council’s Political and Security Committee (PSC), the EEAS and the Commission to discuss planned and ongoing civilian CSDP missions;*Exchange of views with heads of mission and heads of EU delegations
Difficulties of decision-making under unanimity
Importance of veto players‘veto players are individual or collective actors, whose agreement is necessary for a change in the status quo’ (Tsebelis2002)Both veto players preferences (what they want) and their configuration is important*Using one’s veto may be more likely in conditions of power asymmetry
Where does divergence come from?
Geographical positionHistorical ties and alliances, cultural affinityDifferent threat perceptions and problem visionDomestic political regimesPressure from other statesYet: External crises can upgrade the common interest
What is the joint decision trap?
Scharpf (1988, 2006): when member states dominate decision making, under conditions of unanimity, decisions result in a stalemate or lowest common denominator deals
What is norm contestation?
‘norm contestation’:disengagement from commonly agreed consensus attitude; when a Member State vetoes a decision or threatens to veto without justification, or without previous discussion
3 consequences of fp voting under unanimity
Issue linkage: strategically used vote under unanimity in foreign policy or related areasSanctions: Delay in adopting sanctions against Belarus for human rights violations following the protests after the 2020 presidential election due to the position of Cyprus*EnlargementDelay in start of negotiations with North Macedonia
In what areas is the move to QMV proposed?
SanctionsHuman rightsCivilian missions*Military aspects to be excluded
How to overcome the JDT
Creation of a common strategic culture: National officials socialisation leading to common ‘strategic culture’ (Müller2016:362)“The more Europeans agree on how they see the world and its problems, the more they will agree on what to do about them’ (Borrell 2020)Crisis and external pressureTechnical level decisions*Coalitions of the willing; emergence of informal groupings of member states: e.g‘Friends of Lybia’
Developing EU security and defence initiatives
Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO)Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD): overview of military defence capabilities in EuropeEuropean Defence Fund (EDF)*Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC)
PESCO 2017
Structural integration between the arms forces of 25 member states*An initial list of 17 projects adopted in 2018 currently more than 50 ongoing projects
PESCO commitments
Member states committedTo make available strategically deployable formationsTo optimisemultinational structuresTo overcome capability shortfalls under the Capability development Plan (CDP)To contribute at least one strategically relevant capability project*To increase defense budgets in real terms and to dedicate 20 per cent of defense spending to investmentCapability targets serve both EU and NATO requirements
