Aspects of the EU common foreign and security policy

Abstract

This text is an attempt to examine the initial impact of the CFSP till 1998. It also examines the development of political unity from the early formation of the EC. The scope of this text is to convey the extent to which the CFSP provisions have been employed and how these provisions differed from the former EPC programme. This text basically is divided into three parts. The first two chapters are about the development and procedures of the CFSP respectively. Chapter three and four then deal with two case-studies which are of relevant importance to the development of CFSP. Finally a brief account examines the successfulness of the CFSP. Chapter one follows the distinct phases of the CFSP development. It starts with the first phase when member states of the European Coal and Steel Community attempted a political union which was to include also security. After describing its' failures, the second phase is examined i.e. the Fouchet Plan. An analysis of the Fouchet Plan is also provided. In the third phase the EPC is analysed and special emphasis is made on how the EPC developed to the CFSP. In Chapter 2 the politics of procedure of the EU's CFSP are examined. Particular attention is given to the procedure of policy making style, of decision making, financing of CFSP and the instruments of CFSP and scope of them. Chapter 3 presents an examination of one of the first joint actions undertaken by the European Union under the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The case study of South Africa is important because it straddles both CFSP and EPC periods and thus similarities and constraints in the policy making implementation can be made. The EC/EU policy towards South African will be traced from 1977 through April 1994 south Africa Actions.