Europe Pushes for an Army and an Empire

(L to R) Luxembourg’s Foreign minister Jean Asselborn, Italy’s Foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni, Germany’s Foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Belgium’s Foreign minister Didier Reynders, France’s Foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and Netherlands’ Foreign minister Bert Koenders address a press confeence after post-Brexit talks at the Villa Borsig in Berlin on June 25, 2016. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

 

In the wake of Brexit, leaders from the across the Continent are calling for the EU to overhaul its military.

Officials across Europe are pushing for the Continent to develop an army and send it oversees. Though Europe is greatly divided, this is one of few areas on which all sides agree.

Defense reform is “a matter of urgency” European Union officials believe. The EU needs its own armed forces, navy and intelligence service. Poland believes Europe should have “a European army” and “a strong European president with far-reaching authority.”

“The EU wants its own empire as former Commission President José Manuel Barroso made clear when he was in charge,” said UK Independence Party spokesman Mike Hookem. While this comment may seem farfetched, it’s clear the EU wants to rapidly step up its military involvement in North Africa and the Middle East.

Is Europe Finally Ready for an Army?

Caption: European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (OHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images)

 

 

After the Paris attacks, Europe’s calls for a combined military could finally happen.

Europe is secretly plotting to create a European army, some British newspapers have been proclaiming over the last week. “Britain Will Be Forced to Join an EU ARMY Unless We Leave, Says Armed Forces Minister” read a headline on the Express. Meanwhile, other news outlets have been quick to discredit the idea. “[I]s there a serious, imminent chance of this happening?” asked The Guardian. It answered its question in just one word: “No.”

It’s easy to see why they are so dismissive. Leaders of the European Union have been talking about forming a European army for over half a century, and it’s still not here.

But none of these articles examine why the subject of an EU army has come up again. A look behind the headlines reveals why Europe might actually make some real progress toward a combined military this time.