Towards a wider concept of security

The fact that security is becoming a wider concept reflects developments underway since at least the energy crisis of the early 1970`s. This evolution clearly accelerated after the end of the Cold War. Furthermore, traditionally, security has been analysed and managed from state and alliance perspectives. Now, the geographical pertinence of security issues has widened to include both sub-national and global levels. Similarly, the scope has widened from the purely military to include broader political, economic, social and environmental aspects.

No single definition has been elaborated, which encompasses all these various aspects of security. Security is a wide concept often used in the most varying senses ranging from dependability of products, of product supply and security of the citizen to global peace and security.

The Commission has no direct role in military affairs. However, the multiple facets of the contemporary concept of security are reflected in today's Commission action in various fields.

Global and regional coordination efforts (including NATO)

The awareness of an increasing fragmentation of security efforts has resulted in a series of efforts to a large extent undertaken by the international community to achieve coordination on a global level, through the United Nations, on a transatlantic level through North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (the concept of mutually reinforcing institutions), and in Eurasia, through the E). Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe(OSCE)

The EU and its enlargement as a peace project

The very existence of the EU has its origins in a peace project seeking to overcome historical divisions between France and Germany. Particularly after the Cold War, enlargement – both for the EU, the candidate countries and their neighbours is rightly viewed as being part of an overall security endeavour on the European continent as is enlargement of NATO. Candidate countries are already participating extensively in programmes identical or similar to those in place for members of the EU.

To a more limited, but still significant extent, this is also true for co-operation with a number of other partners close to Europe which are preparing themselves for candidate country status -- see for example the justice and home affairs programme inside CARDS on the Balkans.

Coordination and cooperation inside the EU and with NATO

The institutional and legal framework for the governance of all the various programmes in the Union vary considerably. In some the Commission has the lead, others are more closely related to military security in which case, the Council takes the lead. Article 3 of the Treaty on the European Union therefore requires both institutions to co-ordinate closely.

Within the EU the main focus for overall co-ordination is the European Council, which gives strategic direction to EU security policy on the basis of proposals from both the Council and Commission. Co-ordination on other levels is described in the CFSP section of this site.

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