Germany and France have outlined plans to deepen European military cooperation, a document showed on Monday, as Britain’s exit from the EU removes one of the biggest obstacles to stronger EU defense in tandem with NATO.
In potentially the biggest leap in European defense since the 1990s, Berlin and Paris are laying out ways for the bloc to rapidly deploy forces, with security cooperation emerging as a unifying force for Europe after Britain’s shock vote to leave.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is to add to the momentum in his annual State of the Union address on Wednesday by calling for an end to the isolated way in which EU militaries work.
EU leaders are to discuss defense cooperation at a summit without Britain on Friday in the Slovak capital Bratislava and could take decisions at the end of this year.
German Minister of Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier was to discuss closer military ties with his counterparts from the Baltic states in Riga yesterday, while German Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen is to raise the issue during a meeting with her Norwegian counterpart in Bodoe, Norway, today.
In a policy document seen by Reuters, Germany and France, the EU’s two remaining military powers, have made a detailed list of proposals, including a joint and permanent EU command headquarters for its civilian and military missions.
Such a move falls well short of a European army, but would mark a step in the EU’s ambitions in areas from disaster relief to peacekeeping. It could help revive the EU battle groups that have been operational since 2007, but have never been used.
Berlin and Paris said they also sought a strengthening of the Eurocorps, a joint military group of some EU and NATO states, allowing it to play a bigger role in EU operations.
The decision to relaunch closer military cooperation, which was first tried by Britain and France in 1998, goes beyond Britain’s decision to leave the EU, diplomats say.
No European nation has the resources alone to confront failing states on Europe’s borders, extremist militants or a resurgent Russia.
The joint paper floats the idea of setting up the EU’s own medical resources, joint land, air and sea transport capabilities to complement the bloc’s missions and enhancing common training among officers across the 27 states.
France and Germany, as well as senior EU defense officials, are also keen to work with the US-led NATO, which counts 22 of the EU’s 28 members. “We ... recognize that a stronger and more capable European defense will also lead to a stronger NATO,” the document read.
The paper appears timed to complement efforts in Brussels led by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini to show that the bloc is reacting to people’s concerns about security in the wake of attacks in European cities this year and to show that the EU remains relevant despite Brexit.
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