European Security and Defence Policy

The European Security and Defence Policy or ESDP is considered a major element of the Common Foreign and Security Policy pillar of the European Union (EU). The ESDP was initiated by provisions of the Amsterdam Treaty which stipulated the progressive framing of a common security and defence policy that could deal with humanitarian and rescue, peacekeeping, peacemaking and combat forces crisis management tasks, called the Petersberg tasks. When the Cologne European Council in June 1999 appointed Javier Solana as the High representative of the CFSP they also declared that "the EU must have the capacity for autonomous action, backed up by credible military forces, the means to decide to use them, and a readiness to do so, in order to respond to international crises without prejudice to actions by NATO".

Related Topics:
Common Foreign and Security Policy - Pillar - European Union - Amsterdam Treaty - Peacekeeping - Crisis management - Cologne European Council - 1999 - Javier Solana

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