Franco-British Defence and Security Treaties: Entente While it Lasts?

Key points in the Programme Paper:

The 2010 Franco-British treaties have the potential to further bilateral strategic rapprochement and serve as a source of inspiration for other joint defence initiatives in Europe but their sustainability will depend on a number of factors.

These are:

+ The United Kingdom's ability to mitigate its own Eurosceptic fears in the treaties' implementation process;

+ France's commitment to implementing the agreed measures and its capacity to leave behind its political and ideological aspirations when dealing with the United Kingdom;

+ The support of the United States, based on the understanding that the Franco-British treaties do not clash with its global role but will rather reinforce it;

+ A recognition from NATO that the treaties, enabled in part by France's reintegration into NATO Military Command, are most beneficial to the alliance, both as a model for similar cooperation schemes throughout the Euro-Atlantic area and as a contribution mechanism per se;

+ The European Union's focus on capabilities and its ability to see the treaties as an inspiration for a less politicized Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), possibly via the Permanent Structured Cooperation on Defence (PSCD) or similar flexible mechanisms; and

+ The development of a more confident, open and effective partnership between defence industries and governments in Europe.

• Primary Source

RIIA: Programme Report, December 2010: Britain and France: A Dialogue of Decline? http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/papers/view/-/id/987/

ESO: Background information: Franco-British military cooperation: A new engine for European defence? http://www.europeansources.info/record/franco-british-military-cooperation-a-new-engine-for-european-defence/

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