Federal Minister of Defence in Germany:
‘The European Army is our long-term goal but first we have to strengthen the European Defence Union.’
Jean Claude Juncker, president of the EU commission, has been calling for a European Army for a while, to "deter Russian aggression", just like NATO is there to "deter Russian aggression".
Arguing that NATO was not enough because not all members of the transatlantic defence alliance are in the EU, Juncker said a common EU army would send important signals to the world.
“A joint EU army would show the world that there would never again be a war between EU countries,” Juncker told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. “Such an army would also help us to form common foreign and security policies and allow Europe to take on responsibility in the world.”
Juncker said a common EU army could serve as a deterrent and would have been useful during the Ukraine crisis.
“With its own army, Europe could react more credibly to the threat to peace in a member state or in a neighbouring state,” he said.
“One wouldn’t have a European army to deploy it immediately. But a common European army would convey a clear message to Russia that we are serious about defending our European values.”
