The common foreign and security policy within the European Union: Practical implications of the Amsterdam treaty

The aim of this article is to discuss the practical implications of the Ams terdam Treaty, particularly regarding the Common Foreign and Security Polic y within the European Union. The substantial national differences regarding the EU's role in foreign and security politics gave rise to French and Ger man demands for major reforms in order to make progress in the integration process, and furthermore give the EU a credible "actor capability" on the i nternational arena. At the Amsterdam summit a flexibility clause was introd uced, whereby further integration efforts could be undertaken by a majority of the EU member states. However, such a flexibility should only be exerci sed within the treaty frameworks, and should not be inconsistent with the p rincipal goals of the integration process. Despite these restrictions, the new treaty framework still opens up possibilities for solving the "problems " connected to "discontinuities" in the integration process - that is, the disagreement between the actors concerning the role of the EU in its relati ons to NATO and the Atlantic community.