Breaking Pillars – Towards a civil-military security approach for the European Union

Since the launch of the European Security and Defence Policy in 1999 the European Union has all instruments at hand - civilian and military - for a comprehensive approach to crisis management.

In reality, it has been very difficult to combine these
instruments effectively and comprehensively. Recent decisions on establishing more integrated civil-military structures and to work on civil-military capability
development only prove that a gap exists between theory and practice.

Why has the European Union failed to realise its comprehensive approach? What reasons have caused military and civilian efforts to go different ways? How can the
gap be bridged and an integrated civil-military approach established?

This paper provides the answer to these questions. It argues for 'breaking pillars': not only the communitarian Pillars and intergovernmental second Pillar, but also the
separation between military and civilian aspects of ESDP - now Common and Security Defence Policy under the Lisbon Treaty.

The authors provide twenty recommendations towards a civil-military security approach for the European Union