Legal Challenges to Enhancing Coherence and Effectiveness in EU Foreign and Security Policy

This paper examines and expands upon the legal options for enhancing coherence and effectiveness within the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) by leveraging existing decisionmaking procedures. In response to calls from European Union (EU) institutions and several Member States, it explores avenues within the current treaty framework to improve CFSP performance and overcome blockages caused by the unanimity rule. Beyond evaluating the potential use of Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) in CFSP, the paper also highlights the EU’s recent efforts to employ trade instruments for foreign policy objectives, as well as the increasing role of the Commission in the Union’s security and defence policy. The central argument of this paper is that the coherence between various Union policies serves as the key to improving its effectiveness in foreign and security policy.