Implications of the Lisbon Treaty on the European Union's Common Security Defense Policy and the Emerging Strategic Partnership between NATO and the EU

Abstract

The Lisbon Treaty is a monumental step toward fully integrating European Union (EU) military capabilities within its Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP). An underlying concern resulting from the treaty is the amount of redundancy it creates with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO and the EU had already developed redundancies in military capabilities. To some extent, this duplication is healthy and even necessary for Europeans to further develop their military capabilities. But on the political level, the line between healthy and unhealthy redundancy can be thin. This is particularly true when one organization attempts to take on the role of the other, creating competition rather than cooperation. The purpose of this article is to determine the extent to which the Lisbon Treaty promotes a complementary relationship between NATO and the EU in the field of Security and Defense Policy. After providing some historical background, the article reviews NATO's relationship with the EU and its CSDP and the existing cooperation between the organizations. This sets the stage for an assessment of the Lisbon Treaty within the framework of NATO-EU relations. The assessment focuses on the decisions implemented by the Lisbon Treaty, the major changes these decisions created within the CSDP, and the implications of those changes for the NATO-EU relationship. The article also discusses the impact of the treaty on the strategic orientation of the CSDP and on the EU's institutions and procedures, and the relevance of the treaty for collaborative capability development.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA559035

Entities

People

  • Andreas C. Winter
  • David A. Anderson

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Crisis Management
  • European Communities
  • European Union
  • Foreign Policy
  • Foreign Relations
  • Intellectual Property
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • Military Capabilities
  • Military Operations
  • Military Planning
  • National Security
  • Nato
  • Security
  • Treaties
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • International Relations and European Studies
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.