Understanding the EU’s Common Foreign & Security Policy
The EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)
Key Features of the CFSP:
- Limited role for the European Commission and no role for European Courts.
- Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) is permitted in the Council for “lower” decisions; unanimity is required for others.
- The European Parliament (EP) has a consultative role.
The European Council
The European Council, along with the High Representative (HR) and the Foreign Affairs Council, is responsible for the overall direction of the CFSP. It also frequently addresses foreign policy issues of current concern.
The Foreign Affairs Council
Chaired by the HR, the Foreign Affairs Council is the primary decision-making body, following the European Council’s general policy guidelines. Unanimity is required for the most significant and new issues. QMV is used for operational positions, actions, and decisions.
However, a Member State can object to a QMV decision “for vital and stated reasons of national policy.” In such cases, the HR will attempt to find a solution acceptable to the Member State. If no solution is found, the matter is referred to the European Council (requiring unanimity). Another option for a Member State is to abstain with a formal declaration. This Member State is not required to apply the decision but must accept that the decision commits the Union and cannot act against it.
COREPER
COREPER II is involved in CFSP matters, acting as a transmission and filtering agency between the Foreign Affairs Council and the Political and Security Committee.
The Political and Security Committee
This committee monitors the international situation, assists in defining policies, provides political direction on the development of military capabilities, manages crisis situations, and monitors the implementation of agreed policies. There is some rivalry with COREPER, but the Commission has accepted that COREPER is its channel of communication, and COREPER acknowledges that the Commission makes the decisions and they don’t have much to say. The committee is chaired by a representative of the HR and includes senior officials/ambassadors from the Member States’ Permanent Representations to the EU in Brussels.
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Initially, a HR for the CFSP was established (Javier Solana), but the charge was changed to Union Minister for Foreign Affairs and then to High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The HR has a base in both the Commission and the Council and is also the Commissioner for External Relations. The HR chairs the Foreign Affairs Council and implements the CFSP with the Member States (Art. 24 TEU). The HR is a proposer, promoter, facilitator, and implementer (roles defined by the TEU) but is not an independent decision-maker.
The Commission
The Commission has a limited role. After Maastricht, the Commission gained the right to make proposals to the Council (in Foreign Affairs and Defence topics). The HR now has more importance, diminishing the Commission’s role. Nevertheless, the Commission has significant power when CFSP actions involve the use of trade policy (e.g., economic sanctions), as the Council can only act under the Commission’s proposals in these cases.
The European Parliament
The EP has advisory, monitoring, and holding-to-account roles in Foreign Policy. It has some decision-making power when creating the budget (CFSP allowed expenditure is decided here).
Embassies, Delegations, and Missions
The EU has 140 delegations in non-Member States and 5 in international organizations. 170 countries have diplomatic missions accredited to the EU.
The European Union Military Committee
Composed of the Chiefs of Defence, this committee provides military advice and recommendations, especially in the fields of conflict prevention and crisis management.
The Military Staff of the EU
This consists of military personnel.