Horizontal Coherence and the External Competences of the European Union

Abstract: The concept of horizontal coherence, or inter‐pillar coherence, appears to be consubstantial with the external action of the EC/EU: it can be defined as the absence of contradictions between the policies of the European Community and the Common Foreign and Security Policy, or CFSP (consistency) on the one hand, and the achievement of a synergy between these policies (coherence) on the other hand. First considered as a political requirement, its best expression is located in the Article 3 of the Treaty on the European Union. The practice of European foreign policy has demonstrated the importance of this requirement: the control of exports of dual‐use goods as well as the adoption of sanctions, whether on the basis of Article 301 EC, or in application of international agreements with third states, have given the example of overlapping competences. Besides, this overlap has been reflected in the internal organisation of the institutions (allocation of portfolios in the European Commission, conflict between the Political Committee and the Committee of the Permanent Representatives in the Council of the EU). However, the answers to these problems have been far too timid: the adoption of an integrated approach (conflict prevention) as well as the institutional adaptations of the Treaty of Amsterdam do not compensate for the absence of a vision of the European foreign policy which would overcome the old cleavage between federalism and intergovernmentalism. Indeed, it seems to us that much more innovative solutions are needed, such as an evolution towards the binding character of the coherence requirement, which would pave the way to a coherent European foreign policy, comprising external relations and CFSP (including the defence dimension).