Foreign and Defence Policy: Historical Developments and Contemporary Challenges

This chapter explores the initial efforts towards a European Political Cooperation, the attempted establishment of a European Defence Community, and the unsuccessful bid to form a European Political Community. It delves into the stances of Charles de Gaulle and the two Fouchet Plans, the Genscher-Colombo Plan, the Mitterrand-Kohl initiative and the institutionalisation of European Political Cooperation brought about by the Single European Act. The chapter also covers new initiatives towards a shared foreign policy and the establishment of the Common Foreign and Security Policy as the European Union’s second pillar by the Treaty on European Union. It outlines the influence of the Treaty of Amsterdam and the Treaty of Nice on the Common Foreign and Security Policy, along with the formation of the European Security and Defence Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy, and their relationships with NATO. Lastly, the chapter details the Lisbon Treaty’s impact on the Common Foreign and Security Policy, cooperation with NATO, and the areas this cooperation has addressed since the Lisbon Treaty.