- Neutral EU member states
- Other EU member states
- Non-EU member states
The European Union (EU) is an institution of its own kind consisting of member states being part of an alliance as well as military neutral member states while developing a Common Foreign and Security Policy for the union as a whole. The military neutral member states are Austria, Ireland and Malta.[1] Previous military neutral states are Finland and Sweden.
For the military neutral states, membership in the EU and its Common Foreign and Security Policy poses a challenge for them to keep up their neutral status. This results from the obligation of the Common Foreign and Security Policy for the member states to provide it and the other member states with their solidarity as well as to stay coherent with the European foreign policy to not constrain its effectiveness.[2] Thus, the problem is to stay coherent with the Common Foreign and Security Policy while still keeping a neutral position.
- ^ Alecu de Flers 2009, p. 302.
- ^ Algieri, Franco (2010). Die Gemeinsame Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik der EU (in German). Wien: Facultas Verlags- und Buchhandels AG. p. 49.