EU Commission plans to push for closer military cooperation on a voluntary basis. Support comes from Eastern Europe and from France, Italy and Germany.
Vienna / Brussels. For years, the development of the Common European Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) was blocked. Especially the UK had slowed down the ambitions. However, the current threat of terrorism and the increasingly precarious security situation in the vicinity of the EU moves plans ahead for closer military cooperation between the Member States. President Jean-Claude Juncker, as the "Financial Times" has reported, will present next week in his State of the Union proposals for closer cooperation, at the end of which a common EU army could be established.
Specifically, member states would participate in the establishment of joint combat forces. A joint headquarters would coordinate future operations. In addition, the participating countries would coordinate their weapons and their equipment even more closely. No country would be forced to participate in this cooperation, but is likely according to the plans of the EU Commission that a joint military action could also then not be hindered by a veto from any states which stood aside. It is planned to involve the already prepared "Battle Groups". They each include 1500 soldiers and should be ready within ten days according to the erstwhile plans.
Calls for the creation of an EU army have been recently raised by the Visegrad countries. They want more protection against a military escalation in its eastern neighbourhood. German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, French President, Francois Hollande, and Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi want to make a push for closer military cooperation at the upcoming EU summit in Bratislava. They have in focus in particular the risks of terrorism and hotspots like Syria and North Africa. "I think it is time, therefore for Europe to move forward to a European Defence Union", said German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, on Thursday during a visit to Lithuania.
The new dynamic in the security policy is related to Britain's withdrawal from the EU. Because London has feared giving any sovereignty to Community institutions, they have blocked in the past the development of the Common Security and Defence Policy. These reservations are certainly present also in several other EU member states.
Given a sufficient political will, the project could be implemented quickly, a high military official in Brussels is convinced. "When the 27 is actually ready to give to the EU a much stronger role in shaping foreign policy, then the way to an EU army may be relatively short," said the CSDP expert, who declined to be named. The most urgent step in this direction was a consensual decision about the desired military capabilities of the EU.
NATO is cautiously positive towards the agenda for developing the EU's security policy. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed only last week the pushes from Hungary and the Czech Republic for the creation of an EU army. He warned, however, at the same time of a "dual structure". The tasks of the European Union and the Transatlantic Alliance should not overlap, according to Stoltenberg.
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