ABSTRACT
Many people have considered it unrealistic to expect member states to build a common foreign, security and defence policy, as integrating in this area of so-called ‘high politics’ has been described as synonymous with ‘surrendering sovereignty’ altogether. It is true that throughout the history of European integration there have been attempts at establishing a common external policy but, when put to the test, national perspectives have seemed to prevail over such efforts. Nonetheless, at the end of the 1990s, several decisive moves were taken in this direction.
