A European Security Concept for the 21st Century. Egmont Paper, No. 1, April 2004

Coolsaet, Rik, and Biscop, Sven. (2004) A European Security Concept for the 21st Century. Egmont Paper, No. 1, April 2004. [Policy Paper]

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Abstract

In December 2002, the Security & Global Governance Department of the Royal Institute for International Relations (IRRI-KIIB), at the request of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, initiated a strategic reflection on Europe’s security policy. The European Union’s common foreign and security policy, so it was felt, was lacking strategic clarity and a clear definition of its interests, its long-term foreign policy objectives and its priorities. An informal IRRI-KIIB working group was set up, comprising members from the diplomatic, military, intelligence and academic world, in order to forge a European security concept. Early May 2003, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the European Union tasked the High Representative, Mr. Javier SOLANA, with the elaboration of a draft strategic document. Mr. SOLANA presented his initial document, ‘A Secure Europe in a Better World’, to the June European Council, which approved it as the basis for the elaboration of a comprehensive ‘European Security Strategy’, which was then adopted by the December 2003 European Council.

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