The influence of NATO on the development of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy

The issue of the autonomy of the EU legal order from norms adopted by other international organisations has been raised primarily by the Court of Justice vis-à-vis the European Community of late. Notwithstanding the fact that the jurisdiction of the Court does not extend to Title V of the EU Treaty on the Common Foreign and Security Policy, it is nevertheless interesting to study the impact of a security organisation like NATO on the autonomy of the EU because of the blurred legal borders between policy areas and the need for coherence and effectiveness in the realm of EU external action. This chapter sheds light on NATO’s influence on the development of the European Union’s institutional design, policy-making and operational experience gathering in the field of the Common Security and Defence Policy.