ESS是在伊拉克战争后、欧洲宪法草案引起热烈争论时发展起来的，其起草过程匆忙而被动，并被意图将欧洲定位为美国的制衡甚至敌对力量的人所把持。
The ESS was developed in the aftermath of the Iraq war, amid heated debate over a proposed European constitution, in a hasty and reactive process hijacked by those who sought to position Europe as a counterweight – or even a rival power – to the United States.