Foreign policy & defence
Europe's military ambitions
01 June 2000
The European Union's 'Headline Goal', agreed at the Helsinki Summit in December 1999, calls for the creation of a 60,000-strong rapid-reaction force by 2003. Turning that goal into reality is extremely difficult. To deploy and sustain such a force in a combat zone for a year would require - given...
Issue 12 - 2000
26 May 2000
- Beware the strong euro, Alasdair Murray
- Europe's military ambitions, Klaus Naumann
- Mr Prodi's second chance, Charles Grant
- Federalism's last gasp, Ben Hall
Intimate relations: Can Britain play a leading role in European defence - and keep its special links to US intelligence?
05 May 2000
One of the most constant features of the geopolitical landscape is the special relationship between London and Washington on intelligence matters. One of the most rapidly changing and unpredictable elements of that landscape is the emergence of a European Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).
Europe and missile defence
03 April 2000
On each side of the Atlantic a new defence initiative is seen from the other side as unnecessary, confusing and worrying: the Europeans' plan for a European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) and the Americans' plan for National Missile Defense (NMD).
Corruption in Eastern Europe
01 February 2000
Perhaps the greatest obstacle to the integration of Eastern Europe into the European Union - but the least discussed - is corruption. The problem is not absent in Western Europe or the EU institutions, of course, but in many parts of Eastern Europe bribery is endemic.
One cost of corruption...
One cost of corruption...
Open the US defence market
01 February 2000
The consolidation of Europe's defence industry continues apace, with the creation of a Franco-German-Spanish combine, EADS, being the most significant move to date.
Issue 10 - 2000
28 January 2000
- How to help Russia, Charles Grant
- Corruption in Eastern Europe, Liz Barrett
- Open the US defence market, Alexandra Ashbourne
The impact of the euro on transatlantic relations
07 January 2000
European Union is, almost by definition, subject to strain and tension. During the Cold War some stability was maintained by the common external threat that bound the NATO allies together under US leadership.
Pooling forces
01 December 1999
After many years of talking about boosting their defence capabilities but doing very little, the Europeans have made substantial progress in 1999. European governments have begun to develop the defence dimension of their common foreign and security policy.
Issue 15 - 2000
26 November 1999
- Set a date for enlargement now, Heather Grabbe
- The unholiest of alliances, Charles Grant
- The "open method of co-ordination": Innovation or talking shop?, Kirsty Hughes
A golden opportunity for reform
02 August 1999
It is easy to forget that the Eurosceptical mood of many EU countries is a recent phenomenon. In the late 1980s, when the EU's prime task was the creation of a single market, its popularity grew in every member-state.
Europe's defence industry: A transatlantic future
02 July 1999
In December 1998 Europe's first major cross-border defence industry merger was imminent: a deal between British Aerospace (BAe) and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (Dasa) had been agreed and all but signed and sealed.
European defence post-Kosovo
04 June 1999
European Union has long talked about building a defence capability, but done very little about it. In the first week of June 1999, however, two events gave a boost to the EU’s military aspirations. At the Cologne summit EU leaders agreed on a scheme that would enable the EU to...
The EU needs defence convergence criteria
01 June 1999
The countries of the European Union spend on defence around 60 per cent of the US defence budget (approximately $145bn versus $265bn). But Europe does not have anything close to half of US capabilities when it comes to strategic lift, strategic intelligence or command and control.
What next for Kosovo?
01 June 1999
Although the guns have yet to fall silent, there is an urgent need to sort out the rehabilitation of Kosovo. Even under the best of scenarios, this is going to be an expensive and excruciating business.
Issue 6 - 1999
28 May 1999
- The EU needs defence convergence criteria, François Heisbourg
- A mandate for convergence, Kitty Ussher
- What next for Kosovo?, Michael Maclay
- Why Europe needs a constitution, Andrew Marr
The end of EADC
01 February 1999
A little over a year ago the political leaders of Britain, France and Germany launched their plan for a European Aerospace and Defence Company (EADC).
Issue 4 - 1999
29 January 1999
- Give on the rebate to gain elsewhere, Kitty Ussher
- Vision please, Ben Hall
- The end of EADC, Charles Grant, Alexandra Ashbourne
- The myth of tax harmonisation, Kitty Ussher
Reshaping Europe's defence
01 December 1998
All across Europe, politicians and diplomats are scratching their heads and asking the same question: when was the last time that Britain came up with such a constructive initiative on the future of the European Union?
A new model of European integration?
01 December 1998
Ben Hall writes interestingly about the distinction between looser, inter-governmental forms of EU co-operation and actual EU legislation ('detailed, centrally-set rules') in CER Bulletin Issue 2. I agree such a distinction is helpful. But is it in fact new?
Since at least 1964 (and the landmark case of Costa v ENEL)...
Since at least 1964 (and the landmark case of Costa v ENEL)...