Zbornik Radova Pravnog Fakulteta u Splitu (Jan 2014)
On the common european security and defense policy under the Lisbon Treaty
Abstract
The common foreign and security policy of the European Union was defined by the Treaty on European Union (The Maastricht Treaty) in 1992. Until then, however, the common safety and defense policy of the so-called Western European Union was defined by NATO. The Lisbon Treaty on the European Union, which came into force on 1st December 2009, comprises amendments to the fundamental acts of the Union – The Roman Treaty from 1957 and the Maastricht Treaty. The treaty also includes regulations on the common security and defense policy of the European Union. This specific policy is gradually shaped and its final form may eventually result in the common defense of the Union. The paper also analyses Article 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia which defines the possibility of offering aid to the allied states in case of aggression threatening their territorial integrity. In other words, Croatia may or may not provide aid following strictly defined procedures and decisions made by the highest authorities of the state. In the author's view, such constitutional provision is not in accordance with either the North Atlantic Treaty or the Lisbon Treaty, since the aid must be provided.
