Article 14 (ex Article J.4)
1. The Council shall adopt joint actions. Joint actions shall address specific situations where
operational action by the Union is deemed to be required. They shall lay down their
objectives, scope, the means to be made available to the Union, if necessary their duration,
and the conditions for their implementation.
2.  If there is a change in circumstances having a substantial effect on a question subject to
joint action, the Council shall review the principles and objectives of that action and take the
necessary decisions. As long as the Council has not acted, the joint action shall stand.
3.  Joint actions shall commit the Member States in the positions they adopt and in the
conduct of their activity.
4.  The Council may request the Commission to submit to it any appropriate proposals
relating to the common foreign and security policy to ensure the implementation of a joint
action.
5.  Whenever there is any plan to adopt a national position or take national action pursuant
to a joint action, information shall be provided in time to allow, if necessary, for prior consul-
tations within the Council. The obligation to provide prior information shall not apply to
measures which are merely a national transposition of Council decisions.
6.  In cases of imperative need arising from changes in the situation and failing a Council
decision, Member States may take the necessary measures as a matter of urgency having
regard to the general objectives of the joint action. The Member State concerned shall inform
the Council immediately of any such measures.  
7.  Should there be any major difficulties in implementing a joint action, a Member State
shall refer them to the Council which shall discuss them and seek appropriate solutions. Such
solutions shall not run counter to the objectives of the joint action or impair its effectiveness.

Article 15 (ex Article J.5)
The Council shall adopt common positions. Common positions shall define the approach of
the Union to a particular matter of a geographical or thematic nature. Member States shall
ensure that their national policies conform to the common positions.

Article 16 (ex Article J.6)
Member States shall inform and consult one another within the Council on any matter of
foreign and security policy of general interest in order to ensure that the Union's influence is
exerted as effectively as possible by means of concerted and convergent action.

Article 17 (ex Article J.7)
1.  The common foreign and security policy shall include all questions relating to the
security of the Union, including the progressive framing of a common defence policy, in
accordance with the second subparagraph, which might lead to a common defence, should the
European Council so decide. It shall in that case recommend to the Member States the
adoption of such a decision in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements.
The Western European Union (WEU) is an integral part of the development of the Union
providing the Union with access to an operational capability notably in the context of
paragraph 2. It supports the Union in framing the defence aspects of the common foreign and
security policy as set out in this Article. The Union shall accordingly foster closer institutional
relations with the WEU with a view to the possibility of the integration of the WEU into the
Union, should the European Council so decide. It shall in that case recommend to the
Member States the adoption of such a decision in accordance with their respective constitu-
tional requirements.
The policy of the Union in accordance with this Article shall not prejudice the specific
character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States and shall respect the
obligations of certain Member States, which see their common defence realised in the North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), under the North Atlantic Treaty and be compatible
with the common security and defence policy established within that framework.
The progressive framing of a common defence policy will be supported, as Member States
consider appropriate, by cooperation between them in the field of armaments.
2.  Questions referred to in this Article shall include humanitarian and rescue tasks, peace-
keeping tasks and tasks of combat forces in crisis management, including peacemaking.
3.  The Union will avail itself of the WEU to elaborate and implement decisions and actions
of the Union which have defence implications.
The competence of the European Council to establish guidelines in accordance with Article 13
shall also obtain in respect of the WEU for those matters for which the Union avails itself of
the WEU.
When the Union avails itself of the WEU to elaborate and implement decisions of the Union
on the tasks referred to in paragraph 2 all Member States of the Union shall be entitled to
participate fully in the tasks in question. The Council, in agreement with the institutions of the
WEU, shall adopt the necessary practical arrangements to allow all Member States
contributing to the tasks in question to participate fully and on an equal footing in planning
and decision-taking in the WEU.
Decisions having defence implications dealt with under this paragraph shall be taken without
prejudice to the policies and obligations referred to in paragraph 1, third subparagraph.
4.  The provisions of this Article shall not prevent the development of closer cooperation
between two or more Member States on a bilateral level, in the framework of the WEU and
the Atlantic Alliance, provided such cooperation does not run counter to or impede that
provided for in this Title.
5.  With a view to furthering the objectives of this Article, the provisions of this Article will
be reviewed in accordance with Article 48.

Article 18 (ex Article J.8)
1.  The Presidency shall represent the Union in matters coming within the common foreign
and security policy.
2.  The Presidency shall be responsible for the implementation of decisions taken under this
Title; in that capacity it shall in principle express the position of the Union in international
organisations and international conferences.
3.  The Presidency shall be assisted by the Secretary-General of the Council who shall
exercise the function of High Representative for the common foreign and security policy.
4.  The Commission shall be fully associated in the tasks referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2.
The Presidency shall be assisted in those tasks if need be by the next Member State to hold
the Presidency.
5.  The Council may, whenever it deems it necessary, appoint a special representative with a
mandate in relation to particular policy issues.

Article 19 (ex Article J.9)
1.  Member States shall coordinate their action in international organisations and at inter-
national conferences. They shall uphold the common positions in such fora.
In international organisations and at international conferences where not all the Member
States participate, those which do take part shall uphold the common positions.
2.  Without prejudice to paragraph 1 and Article 14(3), Member States represented in inter-
national organisations or international conferences where not all the Member States
participate shall keep the latter informed of any matter of common interest.
Member States which are also members of the United Nations Security Council will concert
and keep the other Member States fully informed. Member States which are permanent
members of the Security Council will, in the execution of their functions, ensure the defence
of the positions and the interests of the Union, without prejudice to their responsibilities under
the provisions of the United Nations Charter.

Article 20 (ex Article J.10)
The diplomatic and consular missions of the Member States and the Commission Delegations
in third countries and international conferences, and their representations to international
organisations, shall cooperate in ensuring that the common positions and joint actions adopted
by the Council are complied with and implemented.
They shall step up cooperation by exchanging information, carrying out joint assessments and
contributing to the implementation of the provisions referred to in Article 20 of the Treaty
establishing the European Community.

Article 21 (ex Article J.11)
The Presidency shall consult the European Parliament on the main aspects and the basic
choices of the common foreign and security policy and shall ensure that the views of the
European Parliament are duly taken into consideration. The European Parliament shall be
kept regularly informed by the Presidency and the Commission of the development of the
Union's foreign and security policy.
The European Parliament may ask questions of the Council or make recommendations to it. It
shall hold an annual debate on progress in implementing the common foreign and security
policy.

Article 22 (ex Article J.12)
1.  Any Member State or the Commission may refer to the Council any question relating to
the common foreign and security policy and may submit proposals to the Council.
2.  In cases requiring a rapid decision, the Presidency, of its own motion, or at the request
of the Commission or a Member State, shall convene an extraordinary Council meeting within
forty-eight hours or, in an emergency, within a shorter period.

Article 23 (ex Article J.13)
1.  Decisions under this Title shall be taken by the Council acting unanimously. Abstentions
by members present in person or represented shall not prevent the adoption of such decisions.
When abstaining in a vote, any member of the Council may qualify its abstention by making a
formal declaration under the present subparagraph. In that case, it shall not be obliged to
apply the decision, but shall accept that the decision commits the Union. In a spirit of mutual
solidarity, the Member State concerned shall refrain from any action likely to conflict with or
impede Union action based on that decision and the other Member States shall respect its
position. If the members of the Council qualifying their abstention in this way represent more
than one third of the votes weighted in accordance with Article 205(2) of the Treaty estab-
lishing the European Community, the decision shall not be adopted.
2.  By derogation from the provisions of paragraph 1, the Council shall act by qualified
majority:
- when adopting joint actions, common positions or taking any other decision on the basis
of a common strategy;
- when adopting any decision implementing a joint action or a common position.
If a member of the Council declares that, for important and stated reasons of national policy,
it intends to oppose the adoption of a decision to be taken by qualified majority, a vote shall
not be taken. The Council may, acting by a qualified majority, request that the matter be
referred to the European Council for decision by unanimity.
The votes of the members of the Council shall be weighted in accordance with Article 205(2)
of the Treaty establishing the European Community. For their adoption, decisions shall
require at least 62 votes in favour, cast by at least 10 members.
This paragraph shall not apply to decisions having military or defence implications.
3.  For procedural questions, the Council shall act by a majority of its members.

Article 24 (ex Article J.14)
When it is necessary to conclude an agreement with one or more States or international
organisations in implementation of this Title, the Council, acting unanimously, may authorise
the Presidency, assisted by the Commission as appropriate, to open negotiations to that effect.
Such agreements shall be concluded by the Council acting unanimously on a recommendation
from the Presidency. No agreement shall be binding on a Member State whose representative
in the Council states that it has to comply with the requirements of its own constitutional
procedure; the other members of the Council may agree that the agreement shall apply
provisionally to them.
The provisions of this Article shall also apply to matters falling under Title VI.

Article 25 (ex Article J.15)
Without prejudice to Article 207 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, a
Political Committee shall monitor the international situation in the areas covered by the
common foreign and security policy and contribute to the definition of policies by delivering
opinions to the Council at the request of the Council or on its own initiative. It shall also
monitor the implementation of agreed policies, without prejudice to the responsibility of the
Presidency and the Commission.

Article 26 (ex Article J.16)
The Secretary-General of the Council, High Representative for the common foreign and
security policy, shall assist the Council in matters coming within the scope of the common
foreign and security policy, in particular through contributing to the formulation, preparation
and implementation of policy decisions, and, when appropriate and acting on behalf of the
Council at the request of the Presidency, through conducting political dialogue with third
parties.

Article 27 (ex Article J.17)
The Commission shall be fully associated with the work carried out in the common foreign
and security policy field.

Article 28 (ex Article J.18)
1.  Articles 189, 190, 196 to 199, 203, 204, 206 to 209, 213 to 219, 255 and 290 of the
Treaty establishing the European Community shall apply to the provisions relating to the areas
referred to in this Title.
2.  Administrative expenditure which the provisions relating to the areas referred to in this
Title entail for the institutions shall be charged to the budget of the European Communities.
3.  Operational expenditure to which the implementation of those provisions gives rise shall
also be charged to the budget of the European Communities, except for such expenditure
arising from operations having military or defence implications and cases where the Council
acting unanimously decides otherwise.
In cases where expenditure is not charged to the budget of the European Communities it shall
be charged to the Member States in accordance with the gross national product scale, unless
the Council acting unanimously decides otherwise. As for expenditure arising from operations
having military or defence implications, Member States whose representatives in the Council
have made a formal declaration under Article 23(1), second subparagraph, shall not be obliged
to contribute to the financing thereof.
4.  The budgetary procedure laid down in the Treaty establishing the European Community
shall apply to the expenditure charged to the budget of the European Communities.