Abstract
The Iraq conflict uncovers difficulties for the member states of the European Union to find a common position in the context of the Common Foreign and Security Policy. This essay describes the major differences in the interest and perspectives of the member governments on Iraq, and the US policy. How can this situation in Common Foreign and Security Policy be explained by the Theories of the European Integration? What has to be done to improve this situation? The capacity of the European Union to acquire a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) is one of the major issues in the European construction in the years to come. With the Economic and Monetary Union, the CFSP constituted as one of the main contributers for the Treaty of Maastricht. But, if the single currency is henceforth a reality, this is not already the case of the Common Foreign and Security Policy which fuels harsh criticisms, especially regarding its role in former Yugoslavia and during the war in Iraq. However, the improvements made are tangible. In the 70s the European political cooperation was already a small beginning of the CFSC. Today it is more than a simple pragmatic harmonisation .One could argue that the difficulties that is encountering the European foreign policy is not only due to institutional reasons, but due to the reluctances of the member states to renounce to a part of their sovereignty in the field. In order to better understand the mechanisms of the Common Foreign and Security Policy within the European Union and also the problems that are encountering this policy, I would like first to give a small overview of the facts that led to this, within the European Union concerning the war in Iraq. Then I would like to describe the major differences in the interests and perspectives of the member governments on Iraq, and the US policy. Finally, I will try to explain the historical and institutional backgrounds of the CFSP, in order to find some ways to improve this foreign policy situation in Europe.
