Meeting the proliferation challenge : the EU WMD strategy

Abstract

The EU Strategy Against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), adopted by the European Council in December 2003, aims at preventing, deterring, halting and, where possible, eliminating WMD proliferation programmes of concern worldwide. By adopting this Strategy, the European Council has expressed its will that the EU should become a major player m the area of nonproliferation on the international scene. However, measures related to proliferation become dated rapidly and have to be revised regularly. New measures may periodically also have to be created. Therefore, the hypothesis of this thesis is that the various specific measures contemplated by the EU Strategy meet the proliferation challenge with varying degrees of effectiveness. Hence, a detailed analysis of the Strategy is undertaken in order to assess this hypothesis and identify which of the said measures are effective in meeting the proliferation challenge and which require updating or improvement. The first chapter provides a historical overview and outline of the EU Strategy. The historical overview documents the development of the Strategy from the Iraq invasion in March 2003 to its eventual adoption in December 2003 and beyond. The outline examines the three-pillar structure of the Strategy and considers the function of related documents, such as the Progress Reports and List of Priorities. The second chapter proceeds to analyse in detail the specific measures contained in Chapter III of the Strategy and related documents. This chapter outlines the Strategy's strong and weak points and, where applicable, makes recommendations for improvement. The conclusion argues that the EU Strategy has greatly enhanced the EU's international role and influence in respect of WMDs and offers a number of observations and recommendations on how this role and influence could be rendered more effective.