Common Foreign & Security Policy (EU)
The Common Foreign and Security Policy was established as the second pillar of the European Union in the Maastricht Treaty of 1992, and further defined and broadened in the Amsterdam Treaty of 1997.
According to the terms of the draft European Union Treaty:
- The Union shall define and implement a common foreign and security policy covering all areas of foreign and security policy, the objectives of which shall be:
- to safeguard the common values, fundamental interests, independence and integrity of the Union in conformity with the principles of the United Nations Charter;
- to strengthen the security of the Union in all ways;
- to preserve peace and strengthen international security, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter, as well as the principles of the Helsinki Final Act and the objectives of the Paris Charter, including those on external borders;
- to promote international cooperation;
- to develop and consolidate democracy and the rule of law, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms."
See also
