The need for a European army!

As a bolt from the blue came the declaration of the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, in the German magazine Die Welt during the first beautiful spring weekend on 8 March 2015. Juncker expressed himself in favour of a European army. According to the President of the Commission, Europe has lost a huge amount of respect, also in foreign policy, and seems not to be taken entirely seriously. Jean-Claude Juncker added that he does not want a new force to challenge the role of the NATO or to get in competition with it. A European army is about strengthening Europe and it would help to design a common foreign and security policy. Furthermore, it is Juncker’s opinion that a common army would convey to Russia that Europe is serious about defending its values. “You would not create a European army to use it immediately” Juncker said. “A European army would show that there will never again be a war between its member states” he added. Immediate but not unexpected reaction from the spokesperson of the government or the United Kingdom: “Our position is crystal clear that defence is a national – not an EU – responsibility and there is no prospect of that position changing and no prospect of a European army!” By contrast, Germany’s Defence Minister, Ursula Von der Leyen, stated that she believes that under certain circumstances the German army could be prepared to put soldiers under the control of another nation and that this would “strengthen Europe’s security” and “strengthen a European pillar in the transatlantic alliance”. She is anyway convinced that there will be, one day, a European army but not in the short term.

I believe that we can only welcome the statement of the President Juncker. It is undeniable that there is a strong need for closer defence cooperation and not only for budgetary reasons. If the EU wants to be taken seriously it should maintain its military capabilities, strengthen its global position and ensure its security in a more coordinated way. This is in the long or even short term impossible when member states continue to behave as national players in this field!