From Amsterdam to Kosovo: Lessons for the future of CFSP

Duke, Simon (1999) From Amsterdam to Kosovo: Lessons for the future of CFSP. EIPASCOPE 1999(2):pp. 1-14.

Abstract

[Executive Summary]. Although the full effects of the Kosovo imbroglio will not be evident for some time to come and the Amsterdam Treaty has only just entered into effect, there is nevertheless a need to focus upon the extent to which the treaty’s provisions might help the EU and other associated organisations address future crises appropriately. The areas in which the Amsterdam Treaty’s provisions may prove to be inadequate, and there would appear to be many, also suggest the need to move beyond the largely paper security structures in Europe. Kosovo will have one of two effects; either it will rejuvenate the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and give practical effect to a common defence policy and common defence, or it will leave the security of the region largely in the hands of the US with all of the benefits and risks that this applies. The former will involve a change in approach to CFSP and a willingness to invest in appropriate military assets to address the causes and effects of primarily intra-state conflict. The latter will continue the patterns established during the cold war whereby the (west) Europeans rely heavily upon the US for initiative, leadership, and key military hardware. Kosovo marks a watershed in the sense that its effects may well make or break the CFSP.