The State of Affairs in EU Security and Defence Policy: The Breakthrough in the Treaty of Nice

The debate lasted for more than fifty years, but with the entry into force of the Treaty of Nice on 1 February 2003, 'Europe' finally succeeded in establishing its own security and defence policy - at least in a procedural sense. This article aims to provide insight into the new European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), and in particular looks at the question of whether the Nice Treaty has turned the European Union into a fully-fledged security and defence organization. The transfer of the main institutions and competences of the Western European Union (WEU) to the EU potentially allows the latter to become more active in the field of military operations. However, this has implications for relations with NATO and the UN.