GERMANY is again pressing for a European army to protect the continent at a time of rising international tensions.
Defence minister Ursula von der Leyen last week spelled out her wishes for a continental force capable of swift reaction anywhere in the world.
Her comments came just two months after European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker expressed his wish for an army commanded by Brussels, saying it “would help us to build a common foreign and security policy, as well as jointly assume the responsibilities of Europe in the world”.
Mrs von der Leyen, talking to her Dutch counterpart in The Hague, said international crises such as the Ebola outbreak and the swift advances by Islamic militant group Islamic State could have been countered better by a well-trained European army.
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Dutch defence minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert backs the idea.
She said: “America is taking on the biggest part of the burden. To regain the balance we European allies must make ourselves stronger together.”
Full article: Germany pushes again for European army (Daily Express)
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