The EU, NATO and the Lisbon Treaty: still divided within a common city Prepared for The European Union Studies Association Conference 3-5 March 2011 Boston, Massachusetts Dr Simon Duke Professor, European Institute of Public Administration, Maastricht Ph: +0031 43 3296356 E-mail:
[email protected] DRAFT ONLY. PLEASE DO NOT CITE. COMMENTS WELCOME. Keywords: EU, NATO, strategy, defence, collective security, human security, CSDP, Lisbon Treaty, mutual assistance, solidarity clause, permanent structured cooperation There is a gap between image and reality when it comes to EU-NATO relations. Both organizations talk, sometimes surreally, of their mutual importance to one another yet this often belies the actual reality of their relations. The EU insists that the continuing development of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) is essential to the Union‟s aspirations to be a global actor and key strategic partner. Meanwhile, NATO‟s recent and well-publicized New Strategic Concept underlined not only the virility of the Alliance in its middle age, but also its ability to assume new challenges and thus enhance its relevance. The definition of relations between the two organizations is an ongoing and sensitive issue. This contribution will consider the extent to which the EU‟s Lisbon Treaty promotes partnership between the EU and NATO or whether it merely highlights existing incongruence. The analysis is based on the treaty text but also relies upon associated documents, statements of senior officials, academic and think tank contributions. The debates that took place within the Convention on the Future of Europe are particularly relevant since they offer a perspective on the intentions of the treaty framers behind the words.