Under the impetus of France and Germany and other countries, the draft of the formation of the "European Union Army" has been formulated and submitted to the 27 member states of the European Union for consideration.
On November 10, local time, Josep Borrell, head of EU foreign policy and security affairs, further revealed that the EU has formulated a draft for joint military operations and the establishment of a crisis response force, and plans to establish a 5,000-strong EU rapid response force in 2025, when it can be put into battle without the approval of 27 EU member states.
Screenshot of the Reuters report
According to Reuters reported on the 11th, in this draft called "Strategic Compass", Josep Borrell, head of foreign policy and security affairs of the European Union, claimed that "Europe is in danger" and the EU must begin to "learn the language of power".
In his foreword to the draft, Borrell wrote: "All the threats we face are intensifying, and the response capacity of individual member states is insufficient and is declining." ”
"We have a strategic responsibility. Citizens want to be protected. On the 10th local time, Borrell further explained that the EU is the world's largest trading group, but only "soft power is not enough" and "we need to have rapid deployment capabilities.".
Josep Borrell, head of foreign policy and security affairs at the European Union, is pictured in the surging image
According to the EU's draft "Strategic Compass," while the U.S.-led NATO is still primarily responsible for Europe's collective defense, the EU plans to build a crisis force of about 5,000 people by 2025. Such a force can "respond to imminent threats or respond quickly to crises, such as rescue and evacuation missions or stabilization operations in hostile environments."
Eu officials will "rapidly deploy modular forces of up to 5,000 soldiers, including land, air and sea forces," the draft said. At that time, it will not need to be approved by all 27 EU member states to put it into combat.
At present, the draft has been submitted to the 27 member states of the European Union for consideration. The foreign and defense ministers of the EU countries plan to discuss the proposal on the 15th, hoping to reach a political document in March next year. Reuters said the plan was not expected to be fully approved until 2023.
The EU's existing Combat Groups (ECBGs) of about 1,500 men each are on standby, with soldiers from different member states rotating every six months. The EU Battle Group is deployed 6,000 km from Brussels. Within 10 days of the Decision of the Council of Europe to launch the operation, it was able to achieve initial operational capability in the theatre of operations.
European Union Battlegroup image from the official website
Previously, the EU's defense independence had been hampered by Britain's very close relationship with NATO. Since Brexit, France and Germany have played an important role in promoting the defense of European independence.
In May, 14 countries, including France and Germany, proposed for the first time a 5,000-strong rapid reaction force. On May 6, the foreign ministers of EU member states met, and at least 14 countries, including Germany and France, supported the formation of the EU Rapid Reaction Force. The countries that expressed support at the time included Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Spain.
In September, after the hasty withdrawal of U.S.-led NATO troops from Afghanistan, calls for the European Union to develop its joint military capabilities rose up, and the proposal to form a European rapid reaction force was once again on the agenda. Agence France-Presse reported on September 3 that the European Union's defence ministers met on September 2 to discuss the relevant proposals. At the time, Borrell said: "The withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan shows that we will pay for the lack of strategic autonomy, and the only way to move forward is to combine our forces and improve our capabilities and willingness to act." ”
"If we want to act autonomously and not rely on decisions made by others, even if those are our friends and allies, then we must develop our capabilities." Borrell said.
In October, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Slovenia renewed their initiative, saying the withdrawal from Afghanistan demonstrated that the EU must be able to act quickly and forcefully, desche Presses reported.
The initiative said there was a need to improve the availability, readiness, deployment and combat capabilities of the armed forces and to make better use of forms of military cooperation between EU member states, and recommended that the existing EU combat forces be developed into crisis response forces that could be deployed in a short period of time.
At present, the proposal has not received widespread support from the EU. The Daily Mail said sending soldiers into a war zone without the support of all member states could violate the EU's own founding treaty.
In response, Borrell explained that "we cannot agree on every step of the decision process", which is not to abolish the consistent rules, but that such a system can be more "flexible" and "to act faster and better".
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