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The Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, during the first semester of 2002, came at a singular time for the development of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). Despite the important progress achieved by previous presidencies, numerous challenges remained, and the work towards the achievement of the Helsinki Headline Goal by 2003 was obviously the most notable one. The declaration of the European Council at Laeken in December 2001, making ESDP operational, immediately encouraged some member states to put forward the need to commit in the shortest term the EU's crisis management capabilities in the Balkans. But the disagreement of some countries on the issue of the participation of NATO's European allies in ESDP continues to hinder progress in this direction. Nevertheless, Spain has conducted a very fruitful Presidency, achieving very substantial progress in many aspects and launching initiatives that complement the mandate received in Laeken. In order to have a clear picture of the achievements of the Spanish Presidency in the field of ESDP, it is important to begin with a very brief description of the situation at the end of the Belgian Presidency.