The Political Influence of the EU Council Secretariat in Security and Defence Policy

This article analyses the political influence of the Council Secretariat in the Common Security and Defence Policy. Using four carefully selected case studies – civilian and military operations in Aceh, Bosnia, Chad and Kosovo – and based on 105 semi-structured elite interviews, it shows that the Council Secretariat was most influential in agenda-setting and more influential in civilian than in military operations. Its prominence in agenda-setting can be explained by the pivotal position of the Council Secretariat in the policy process, which allowed it to get early involved in the various operations. The absence of strong control mechanisms and doctrine in civilian crisis management gave the Council Secretariat significant room to manoeuvre in the monitoring and rule of law missions