The European External Action Service and the Nexus between CFSP/CSDP and Development Cooperation’

The EU's commitment to integrate and fine-tune security and development policies has been considerably complicated by three main obstacles: (1) the legal distinction between development cooperation and CFSP/CSDP; (2) the diffused institutional responsibility over the EU's toolbox in these policy areas; and (3) the discord between the elusive interpretation of the security-development linkage and the rather rhetorical call to enhance coordination.

The creation of the European External Action Service significantly alters the EU's architecture in this regard by pooling together the EU's scattered instruments and policy actors. In this manner, it offers opportunities to overcome the obstacle of diffused responsibility and operationalize the rhetorical coordination commitment.

However, the legal divide between development cooperation and CFSP/CSDP has survived the Lisbon Treaty changes and may considerably complicate the day-to-day operation of the EU's foreign service. Moreover, the EEAS fulfils only a supporting role and the extent to which its potential is turned into practice depends to a large degree on the constant and constructive cooperation with the EU's traditional external actors.

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