La référence au concept d’intégrité territoriale comme facteur de légitimation de la politique extérieure de l’Union

Abstract:

In the framework of the European Political Co-operation (EPC) and Common and Foreign Security Policy (CFSP), European States have frequently emphasised the duty to preserve the territorial integrity of States which had been victim of a military intervention or were faced with secessionist movements. This discourse, of an essentially legal character, aims at grounding the stance taken by Europe in common values which underpin the concept of territorial integrity: stability, peace, and, although in a more indirect fashion, the will of the population of the State under attack. It nevertheless reaches its limits when the concept of territorial integrity conflicts with other values (which are however compatible with this concept), such as the right of peoples to self-determination, or the rights of minorities. The concept's legitimising effect appears then significantly weakened in cases such as the premature recognition of Croatia and Slovenia, or when Europe took part in the military actions against Yugoslavia in 1999.