EU Security and Defence after Amsterdam: The Commission’s Perspective

This section analyses the early challenges of the European security and defence policy (ESDP) after the Treaty of Amsterdam, focusing on the Commission’s role. Drafted according to the provisions of the Vienna Council (December 1998), the ESDP was conceived to make the CFSP less reactive and more proactive, and to make it capable of providing immediate responses, the lack of which badly affected the EU’s credibility. The appointment of Javier Solana as High Representative (HR) for the CFSP raised new expectations, while the United Kingdom’s spirit of initiative and its renewed dialogue with France at Saint-Malo promised to make the project successful. The chapter deals with four aspects: the internal EU dimension (the relations between the Commission and the Council); the common strategy on Russia; transatlantic relations; and the EU concept of security in relation to NATO and the United Nations.