Germany’s Chancellor Merkel calls for 'real, true' European army
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a “real and true” European Union military force, echoing earlier remarks by French leader Emmanuel Macron which US President Donald Trump described as “very insulting.”
Addressing Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in the northeastern French city of Strasbourg on her vision for the future of Europe, Merkel also demanded a European Security Council that would centralize defense and security policy on the continent.
“We have made a lot of progress in the area of structural military cooperation. That's good and is mostly supported here. But we should, and I'm saying this also because of developments in recent years, we should work on a vision of one day establishing a real, true European army,” she pointed out.
The German leader further noted that such an army would not undermine the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), but would be complementary to the military alliance.
“Only a stronger Europe is going to defend Europe. Europe must take our fate into our own hands if we want to protect our community,” she said.
“I will propose the establishment of a European Security Council with a rotating presidency,” Merkel also commented.
Merkel's clear call for a future European army came on the same day that Trump took a swipe at his French counterpart again after the latter suggested creation of a European army.
Last week, Trump criticized Macron’s proposal in a tweet as “very insulting, but perhaps Europe should first pay its fair share of NATO, which the US subsidizes greatly!”
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Sunday that any European army “will have to align with NATO forces” and not be in opposition to or competition with the coalition.
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