For the most part, the governing institutions of the EC pillar have little or no input in the other two. .
The CFSP and JHA pillars are based entirely on intergovernmental cooperation, and decisions have to be made unanimously. CFSP is a forum for foreign policy discussions, common declarations, and common actions that work toward developing a security and defence policy. It has successfully developed positions on a range of issues and has established some common policy actions; however, the CFSP has failed to agree on a common security and defense. Some countries, led by France, want an integrated European military force, while others, especially Britain, insist that United States involvement via the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is vital for European security. .
This second argument was reinforced when the EU failed to resolve the Yugoslavian crisis that began in 1991. Between 1991 and 1992 the Yugoslav republics of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia declared independence, leaving a Yugoslavia that consisted only of the republics of Serbia and Montenegro. The Croatian and Bosnian secessions were strongly opposed by Serbia, and violent conflict resulted between ethnic Bosnian, Croat, and Serb populations. The EU attempted to find a settlement for these conflicts. However, these efforts were ineffective because EU members could not agree on how they should be involved, and they feared being dragged into military intervention. The Yugoslav crisis crystallized the difficulties and brought about achieving a common foreign policy for the EU. Effective international intervention in Yugoslavia ultimately came only with U.S. and NATO involvement, acting under the auspices of the United Nations.
The EU has been more successful in JHA, which formalized and extended earlier intergovernmental cooperation in combating crime, especially drug trafficking, and in setting immigration and asylum policies.
