Among the clouds of abstention, apathy and doubts about the European integration project, the area of security and defence has seen indisputable progress in the last couple of years. The year 2003 witnessed a European Security Strategy document was endorsed last December. All of this would have been unthinkable just five years ago. Yet, the capabilities aspect of ESDP is still lagging behind.
Ora che il polverone della conferma a José Manuel Durao Barroso si è posato, vale forse la pena soffermarsi un attimo su quanto è accaduto. L'esito del voto a Strasburgo non è stato certo un successo per il nuovo Presidente della Commissione, nonostante abbia raccolto qualche decina di voti in più rispetto a quelli previsti o annunciati: 413 Sì contro 251 No e 44 astenuti non rappresentano certo un mandato pieno e indiscusso, un'apertura di credito senza riserve.
L'Europe a donc un Traité constitutionnel. Les 25 chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement ont finalement accompli cette prouesse de s’entendre – même au rabais – sur ce qui les divise le plus : la répartition des pouvoirs au sein de l’ensemble européen. Mais l’Europe n’a pas d’électeurs : les taux records d’abstention aux élections européennes du 13 juin jettent donc sur cette victoire diplomatique une ombre tout aussi indéniable.
The Sarin attacks carried out by the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo in Matsumoto and Tokyo highlighted the threat posed by non-state actors equipped with non-conventional weapons. Although the number of casualties was limited, the attack signalled a cause for concern.
A partir d'aujourd'hui, les entreprises d'armement terrestre et aéroterrestre vont se réunir à Paris lors du salon international Eurosatory. Côté européen, l'ambiance sera sans doute mitigée. La situation reste difficile en particulier pour les producteurs de chars et de véhicules blindés, qui forment le noyau dur de l'industrie d'armement terrestre.
The 2004 Transatlantic Conference focused on the security agendas of the United States and EU, visions for the Middle East and trends in the transatlantic partnership. The conference was attended by nearly a hundred participants representing governments, international organisations, policy institutes, and academia.
With its mosaic of problems, and their potential consequences, the wider Black Sea region is one of the more important challenges that the enlarged European Union will face.
This conference, organised jointly with the Institute of International Relations, Prague, took place soon after accession of the Czech Republic to the EU. The Prague office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation contributed to the organisation of the event, and the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted the participants.
The purpose of this seminar was to analyse the current situation in the Middle East and to assess the various Western initiatives to deal with the region. How can the European Union and its member states support the ‘Greater Middle East Initiative’ of the US whilst reaffirming the commitment to their own initiatives.
The 2003 Wider Europe/New Neighbourhood initiative and the European Security Strategy that confirmed the EU’s ambition to become a fully fledged regional power and to strengthen its global role could together give fresh momentum to the EU’s Mediterranean policies.