CFSP

The Common Foreign and Security Policy, or CFSP, was established as the second of the three pillars of the European Union in the Maastricht treaty of 1992, and further defined and broadened in the Amsterdam Treaty of 1999. It superseded the European Political Cooperation.The CFSP sees NATO responsible for territorial defence of Europe and "peace-making" while since 1999 the European Union is responsible for implementation missions; i.e. peace-keeping, policing of treaties etc.
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The common foreign and security policy (CFSP) was established and is governed by Title V of the Treaty on European Union. It replaced European Political Cooperation (EPC) and provides for the eventual framing of a common defence policy which might in time lead to a common defence.

The objectives of this second pillar of the Union are set out in Article 11 of the EU Treaty and are to be attained through specific legal instruments (joint action, common position) which have to be adopted unanimously in the Council. With the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam, the European Union also has a new instrument at its disposal - the common strategy - which is referred to in the Article 12 of the EU Treaty. The Treaty of Amsterdam also provided for qualified majority voting under certain conditions and since it was signed the CFSP has been developing in practice at every European Council.

The Treaty of Nice introduced the possibility, under certain conditions, of establishing closer cooperation in the field of the CFSP for the implementation of joint actions and common positions. This closer cooperation may not be used for matters with military or defence implications.

See:

•Abstention, constructive (positive abstention)
•Common position (CFSP) 
•Common strategy (CFSP)
•Coreu (CORrespondance EUropeenne)
•Declaration (CFSP) 
•Joint action (CFSP) 
•NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)
•Pillars of the European Union 
•Planning and Early Warning Unit
•Political and Security Committee (PSC)
•Single institutional framework 
•Title V of the EU Treaty (CFSP) 
•Western European Union (WEU) 

The common position in the context of the common foreign and security policy is designed to make cooperation more systematic and improve its coordination. The Member States are required to comply with and uphold such positions which have been adopted unanimously at Council meetings.

See:

•Common foreign and security policy (CFSP) 

The common strategy is a new instrument introduced under the common foreign and security policy by the Treaty of Amsterdam.

Under the new Article 13 of the EU Treaty, the European Council defines the principles and general guidelines for the CFSP and decides on common strategies to be implemented by the Union in fields where the Member States have important interests in common.

In concrete terms, a common strategy sets out the aims and length of time covered and the means to be made available by the Union and the Member States. Common strategies are implemented by the Council, in particular by adopting joint actions and common positions. The Council can recommend common strategies to the European Council.

See:

•Common foreign and security policy (CFSP)

The Declaration is an instrument for which there is no provision in Title V of the Treaty on European Union but which was a feature of European political cooperation (EPC). It is not a mandatory instrument and is still frequently used under the CFSP.

See:

•Common foreign and security policy (CFSP) 
•European political cooperation (EPC) 

This term, which refers to a legal instrument under Title V of the Treaty on European Union, means coordinated action by the Member States whereby resources of all kinds (human resources, know-how, financing, equipment and so on) are mobilised to attain specific objectives fixed by the Council on the base of general guidelines from the European Council.

See:

•Common foreign and security policy (CFSP) 
•Title VI of the EU Treaty (CFSP)

Title V of the EU Treaty, also known as the "second pillar", contains the provisions establishing a common foreign and security policy. It comprises Articles 11 to 28.

See:

•Common foreign and security policy (CFSP) 

Common Foreign and Security Policy
  

CFSP