The European Security and Defence Policy or ESDP is considered a major element of the Common Foreign and Security Policy pillar of the European Union. The ESDP was initiated by provisions of the Treaty of Amsterdam which stipulated the progressive framing of a common security and defence policy that could deal with humanitarian and rescue task, peacekeeping tasks and tasks of combat forces in crisis management, including peacemaking. These are the so-called Petersberg tasks.

Elements of the ESDP

• European Defence Agency
• European Rapid Reaction Force
• European Gendarmerie Force
• European Union battle groups

The following permanent political and military bodies were established after the approval of the Nice European Council.

• Political and Security Committee or PSC
• European Union Military Committe or EUMC
• European Union Military Staff or EUMS

Missions in the ESDP context

Some of the operations launched by the EU in the ESDP context are the following.

Past Operations

• EUFOR Concordia: Operation launched on 31 March 2003, in the Republic of Macedonia following a request of President Boris Trajkovski. This operation made use of NATO assets and capabilities.
• Operation Artemis: A military operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, conducted in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1484 of 30 May 2003, and adopted by the EU on 5 June 2003. The mission ended on 1 September 2003. This was the first time that the EU made a military operation without NATO assistance. France was the "framework nation" and main contributor in forces.

Current Operations

• European Union Police Mission or EUPM: Police mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina that started on 1 January 2003.
• EUPOL Proxima: Or more fully European Union Police Mission in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, this operation was launched on 15 December 2003 and will cover an initial period of one year.
• EUJUST Themis: More fully EU Rule of Law Mission to Georgia, this mission was launched on 16 July 2004 for a foreseen duration of 12 months, and is designed to support the Georgian authorities in challenges about the criminal justice system and reform process.
• EUFOR Althea: This is a EU military operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a transition from the NATO-led SFOR. Transfer of authority from SFOR to EUFOR happened on 2 December, 2004.

Future Operations

• to be added

Predecessors of the ESDP

• European Defence Community: The EDC was a defence community proposed in the 1950s soon after the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community. The founding treaty failed to be ratified and so the project was abandoned.
• Western European Union: The WEU was created after the failure of the EDC, an organisation composed of those state members of both NATO and EU. Partially dormant, its tasks have been in part transferred to the EU. It's not yet certain whether the WEU will remain an independent organisation or be eventually fully merged into the EU.