European\Common Security and Defence Policy after the Lisbon Treaty: European but not Common

The paper aims to explain the institutional designation of the operational part of the Common Foreign and Security Policy – The European/Common Security and Defence Policy. The Lisbon Treaty introduced certain changes and innovations in the way the foreign, security and defence policy of the European Union is guided, making it the last policy where the inter-governmental approach is instutionalized. The paper explains the difficulties that institutions and member-states are facing, having in mind the sovereignty principle and the decision-making process in this specific area. The High Representative, the European Commission, the European Council, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, according the Lisbon Treaty participate in the Security and Defence Policy development, but member-states are still “masters” of their foreign, security and defence policy. By that, much depend on the member-states will for improvement of the European Union performances as a foreign and security actor