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EU battlegroups have existed on paper for 16 years (Photo: Public Affairs Office)

Why won't EU forces fight together, von der Leyen asks?

The European Commission has called for EU "political will" to send joint forces into combat in a "hyper-competitive" world.

EU countries have redoubled interest in fielding joint "battlegroups" after the US recently made Europe look impotent in the Afghanistan crisis.

But EU battlegroups have existed on paper for 16 years without ever being sent into action, commission chief Ursula von der Leyen noted in Strasbourg on Wednesday (15 September).

"In the last weeks, there hav...

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.

EU battlegroups have existed on paper for 16 years (Photo: Public Affairs Office)

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.

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