Italy proposes creation of European army

Italian Foreign Minister said European countries need to establish a joint military force to maintain peace and prevent conflicts.

"In a world with powers like the United States, China, India and Russia, and crises stretching from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific region, only the European Union (EU) can protect Italian, German, French or Slovenian citizens," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on January 7.

"If we want to be a peacekeeper in the world, we need a European military force. This is a basic prerequisite for building an effective European foreign policy," said Mr. Tajani.

Italian tanks participate in exercises at the Hohenfels training ground, Germany in February 2021. Photo: US Army

According to Mr. Tajani, the 27-nation EU should rationalize the union's leadership structure and have a single president, instead of the current structure of a president of the European Council and a president of the European Commission.

European defense cooperation has been high on the EU agenda since the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted in late February 2022. However, efforts have focused more on NATO expansion. EU member Finland joined NATO last year and Sweden is in the process of applying to join the US-led military alliance.

French President Emmanuel Macron in November 2018 called for the creation of a European army to help the continent become more self-sufficient in ensuring security and less dependent on the United States. German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the time also proposed a similar idea.

However, many Western experts have expressed skepticism about the idea of ​​establishing a European army proposed by France. They said that each country in the EU has its own goals and interests, and it is difficult to agree on a common goal, making the proposal for a European army difficult to become a reality.

Nguyen Tien (According to Reuters )

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