The European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy: Central Issues ... Key Players

The role of the European Union (EU) as a key international economic player is both highly developed and widely recognized. The Union’s profile as an international political actor is much more limited, even though its activities are considerable. One of the principal objectives of the workshop on “The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) of the European Union: Germany’s Due Role as Architect and Constrictor” was to familiarize American policy and research communities with the realities of the structure, practice and limits of this policy initiative. The workshop, held in May 1995, and sponsored by the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, the U. S. Army War College, and the Delegation of the European Commission to the United States, also highlighted the special role Germany has played in the development of the CFSP, while considering, as well, the contribution of France and the United Kingdom. The future course of the CFSP matters to the United States as it raises questions about the nature of sovereign decision making on the part of principal American allies. Will these allies increasingly come to the tale with singular collective positions? Will such a development enhance European stability? Will greater European unity diminish U.S. influence? How will NATO accommodate the change? The resolution of these issues in the early years of the coming century will have a profound impact on U.S. European relations and gives added salience to this report.