Global CSDP operations cover a wide range of crisis management missions, ranging from traditional peacekeeping and civil-military deployments to complex civilian missions aimed at establishing a comprehensive system of the rule of law. Under the Lisbon Treaty, Member States shall undertake progressively to improve their military capabilities and shall make civilian and military capabilities available to the Union for the implementation of the common security and defence.2 Furthermore, a mutual assistance obligation in the event of an armed aggression was introduced, which shall not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States3 as well as a solidarity clause stipulating the obligation to provide aid in the spirit of solidarity in case of a terrorist attack or disaster.4 Almost all of the European States now belong to the Council of Europe, an institution of central importance in ensuring the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms as well as the rule of law and democracy. All Member States have undertaken to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights, the provisions of which are enforceable at the European Court of Human Rights. The Council of Europe also directly plays a role in security policy through its activities in crisis prevention and post-crisis rehabilitation. As a global organisation, the United Nations (UN) is dedicated to all aspects of security in a comprehensive way, both through the work of its own institutions and that of specialist organisations. In addition to pursuing its main objective of maintaining peace and international security, the UN promotes friendly relationships between the nations and fosters international cooperation in the economic, social, cultural and humanitarian spheres. The increasing interdependency between security and development is taken into account in the Millennium Development Goals for a sustainable and long-term improvement of global security, in particular, eliminating, as far as possible, the structural causes of conflict, such as poverty, education deficits and discrimination against individual communities. The UN ranks highest in terms of legitimacy in international law and has the most extensive experience in traditional peacekeeping. While the latter will remain the UN’s most important area of activity in security policy for the foreseeable future, the organisation also intends to increase its efforts in other areas of crisis management, particularly in conflict prevention and peace-building. According to the new Strategic Concept adopted in 2010, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will continue to perform its traditional function as a defence alliance,5 but it also intends to play a larger role throughout the whole spectrum of international crisis management activities. At the same time, NATO is working closely with its partners in the spirit of cooperative security, whereby the importance of the various partnerships—the Partnership for Peace (PfP), the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC), partnerships with the EU, the UN, Russia and other global partners—has been further increased in the new Strategic Concept. NATO also intends to address new security policy challenges and tasks in a strengthened way and to play a more significant role in international politics in general, intensifying the involvement of its partners by becoming a forum for international security consultations, whilst also working towards disarmament. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has a traditional role within the politico-military sphere, working particularly in the areas of conventional disarmament, conflict prevention, confidence-building measures, support for police and border management, 2 Article 42(3) TEU 3 Article 42(7) TEU 4 Article 222 TFEU 5 Article 5 North Atlantic Treaty 6