Europe needs to become active globally

There is no such thing as "the European Island" or "Fortress Europe." Rather, the continent is part of an increasingly networked world. As such, Europe is in both political and economic competition with established and emergent states. The coming years will bear witness to a potentially conflict-prone struggle over a number of resources, including to access to essential raw materials and new markets. The rise of India and above all China could fundamentally shift the balance of power to Asia.

At the same time, internationally active terrorist networks are overwhelming the traditional instruments of foreign and security policy and erasing the lines between external and internal security. Europe cannot escape this threat any more than it can the problem of failed states, some of which have suffered for decades from civil wars that have obliterated any opportunity for regional democratic and economic development.

Thus, Europe has no choice: It has to learn to speak with one voice and become active globally. By establishing a Minister of Foreign Affairs and new forms of cooperation in the area of security and defense, the EU Constitution is already pointing in the right direction. Equally promising is the new European security strategy, "A Secure Europe in a Better World," in which EU member states together evaluate the security policy situation as well as their interests and options for action. Conceptually speaking, however, this is just the beginning of a long journey-one that must ultimately end with member states not only coordinating their foreign, security and defense policies, but integrating them as well.