Strategic Panorama 2009 - 2010 - IEEE

THE TREATY OF LISBON AND THE COMMON SECURITY AND DE-
FENCE POLICY
An í b a l Villalba Fe r n á n d e z
INTRODUCTION
The Treaty of Lisbon has modified the two fundamental texts of
the European Union: the Treaty on European Union (TEU); and
the Treaty establishing the European Community, now called the
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
When the Lisbon Treaty came into force on 1 December 2009 the
European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) of the European Union
came to be called the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).
Following ten years of ESDP, the Union has progressed in shaping
security and defence structures and mechanisms which integrate the
different sensibilities and concerns of the Member States.
This period has witnessed substantial headway in defining the EU’s
identity in a sphere that affects societies’ most intimate interests.
The CSDP marks a qualitative leap in the field of security and defence,
establishing instruments that are expected to allow the Union to progress
by generating and exporting security as an indispensable element of the
Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).
The stimulus which the Lisbon Treaty provides to the CFSP is designed
to allow the European Union to continue to progress towards its goal of
becoming a comprehensive actor on the international scene. Structures
have been modified by creating instruments, simplifying procedures,
enhancing capabilities and increasing the flexibility of mechanisms, and a
powerful structure has been devised which is expected to enable the EU
to develop its potential in the fields of international politics and security.
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