In 1998, the Saint Malo Declaration by French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair indicated both countries’ determination to reinforce the EU’s security and defense capabilities. Originally reluctant to accept a Europe with autonomous military capacity, the United Kingdom had learned from the intervention in Kosovo that the EU must be able to respond to crises rapidly and efficiently.
如果要更好地阐明这些条约的意义，那就必须先回溯它们所产生的背景。1998年，法国总统雅克·希拉克和英国首相托尼·布莱尔共同发表了《圣马洛宣言》，表达了两国增强欧盟安全和防卫能力的决心。英国人原本不怎么愿意接受一个拥有独立军事力量的欧洲，但科索沃事件使他们意识到欧盟必须拥有这么一支力量以便迅速有效地对危机做出反应。