EU-UN Relations in Crisis Management
September 2002-August 2003
This research project on the relationship between the United Nations and the European Union in the area of crisis management was particularly timely, as the EU has been developing its civil and military capabilities to address crises. The aim of the project was two-fold: first, to increase understanding among UN Secretariat officials of the development and goals of the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), and second, to extract lessons from past UN peace operations relevant for the EU, in order to contribute to better relations and communication between the two organizations on concrete peacekeeping issues.
The project was undertaken by 2002-2003 Visiting Fellow Dr. Alexandra Novosseloff, on secondment from the Directorate for Strategic Affairs of the French Defense Ministry. A report presents the findings of a series of interviews with UN and EU officials in New York and Brussels to assess the political and institutional dimensions of the relationship, and another set of interviews in the field (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Afghanistan).