Dutch CSDP Policy and Military Capability Development in the European Union

Abstract

Military capability development in the European Union has been a difficult and slow process for member states participating in the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Various authors have noted the transatlantic relationship as being an important or even instrumental dynamic for EU member state policy with regard to CSDP’s development, in particular its military dimension. To better understand CSDP’s evolution, this thesis traces the influence of the transatlantic relationship in Dutch CSDP policy with regard to military capability development in the EU between 1999 and 2012.