One of the most difficult and potentially frustrating tasks facing any Council Presidency is seeking to implement a successful Common and Foreign Security Policy (CFSP), one which will enhance the role of the EU on the world stage. Opinion polls constantly show that this is one area where Europe's citizens back a stronger common approach. Among the major challenges faced by the British Presidency were the conflict in Kosovo, the faltering Middle East peace process and a code of conduct on arms sales. On Kosovo the picture is still fairly gloomy, with continued use of force by the Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic against the Albanian population of Kosovo.
However the EU has certainly responded more swiftly against Belgrade than it did at the time of the Bosnian crisis, this time imposing an arms embargo and a visa ban on Yugoslavia, a freeze on its overseas assets, and a ban on air links between the EU and Yugoslavia. Prime Minister Tony Blair also promised Parliament in Strasbourg in June that preparation for possible military action within NATO was under way and enjoyed the full support of the EU. This might be used if Belgrade did not comply with EU and NATO demands that it should cease its use of force.
The stagnation in the Middle East peace process also gives little real hope for optimism. The room for manoeuvre for the whole of the international community, including the EU and the US, is extremely limited, especially as such issues as persuading Israel to withdraw troops from the West Bank.
Nevertheless the British Presidency argued that it had been extremely active in the peace process and had succeeded in persuading the Palestinian authorities that they should accept the American peace package. Under the UK Presidency considerable support has also been provided to boost the economy of Palestine such as the airport in Gaza. In other areas the foreign policy successes of the British Presidency are more tangible. It has secured agreement on a code of conduct for arms exports which establishes common standards by which each member state will judge applications for a licence for an arms export. It also includes a notification mechanism, whereby any member state can notify all the others that it has decided to turn down a contract on grounds of human rights, and any other member state who wishes to pick up such a contract must first notify and consult the country that first refused it.
The code has been criticised for only being "half a loaf" as it lacks some of its original objectives that sought to achieve transparency in arms sales. However it can be argued that "half a loaf is better than none", and that the episode illustrates the difficulties in achieving agreement among 15 independent states on such a contentious issue.
MEPs had been extremely vocal in their calls for a code and while most welcomed it they also voted for it to be strengthened by the establishment of better information channels between the governments of different member states.