FOREWORD

摘要

At the December meeting of the European Council, the EU's heads of state and government will discuss the future of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) as they endeavour to answer the lingering question of what a European security and defence policy seeks to achieve. Two issues in particular loom large: the pressure placed on national defence budgets by austerity measures; and the potential UK referendum on EU membership, which could remove from the equation one of the most prominent players in the European security and defence field.