The following brief overview proposes to summarize the principal developments of the year 2007 in the field of European defence. In this regard, two preliminary remarks are of order. The first one is terminological; it relates to the denomination ESDP (European security and defence policy) used up to now, present paper included. It is bound to become, once the new treaty ratified, CSDP (Common security and defence policy). The second remark consists in stressing that the developments and the debates in 2007 continue to revolve around the most controversial concept in European defence, namely the term of ‘autonomy’.

Be it in the institutional field (launching of the EU Operations Centre, long time prohibited out of respect to NATO’s supposed primacy) or in the armament sector (assertion of the requirement of ‘non-dependence’ for key defence technologies), in 2007, ESDP continued its timid but inexorable march towards an edifying ‘coming out’ of the Member States’ fundamental divergences on the very essence of their adventure.

Full text in French.

• Missions and operations • Institutional aspects • Civilian and military capabilities • The armaments field • EU-NATO relations • The Lisbon Treaty

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