Friday

29th Mar 2024

Opinion

A free Europe needs an army

Listen to article

The last few years have shown that the US cannot and does not want to be the policeman of the world anymore. Additionally, Russia and China seem to be aligning their strategies - one targeting Ukraine, and the other Taiwan.

A military takeover would not only wipe two democracies off the earth, it would also hit Europe in its heart. We can no longer afford not playing along geopolitically.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Over the last 30 years, the number of democracies has fallen and the number of conflicts has risen. Led by Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Xi Jinping, the postmodern model has given way to 19th century power politics. A world in which the great powers divide the world into spheres of influence, disregarding the will of the people or international law.

Should we therefore conclude that the West has lost? No. The US and the EU are still the most prosperous areas of the world. Our citizens are the freest people on earth. We have a well-functioning rule of law, a dynamic economy, and our product requirements still are the global standard.

Not because other countries think our rules are so great, but otherwise they would not have access to the world's richest consumers.

The EU must however be careful not to make the same mistakes as the Roman Empire - which fell victim to decadence and the idea that its own security could be outsourced to others. Even in the European Union, countries hardly invest in their armed forces. Worse, many countries are opposed to a common European foreign and security policy. They remain stuck in the idea that the US will continue to keep us safe through Nato.

This is naive. Ever since Barack Obama, the focus of the US has shifted to Asia. Donald Trump, following, was more friends with Putin than with his European allies. Fortunately, under Joe Biden, ties have been re-established, but he too maintains an "America First" policy.

This makes Europe vulnerable. A war in Ukraine would lead to an influx of refugees and an unprecedented energy shortage. A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would shut down our economy due to a scarcity of semiconductors. The only conclusion for the EU must be to become more autonomous and decisive.

The plans of EU High Representative Borrell to set up a pan-European military force of 5,000 troops is laudable, but wholly inadequate. Putin has stationed 120,000 troops near the Ukrainian border in a matter of weeks. What will our response be if one of the Baltic EU member states is the next victim? Trump has already indicated at the time that NATO's principle of solidarity is not a given. One should not rule out the possibility of a new kind of Trump taking over after Biden.

It is therefore high time to make progress towards an European army based on a common foreign policy. Not to weaken Nato, but rather to strengthen it. A survey of European citizens has shown that the need for a European army is perceived as the most urgent.

My country of Belgium has had politicians who have left a huge mark on European integration. Without Paul Henri Spaak there would have been no internal market. Without Guy Verhofstadt there would have been no convention that launched the last major reforms of the EU. And without Herman Van Rompuy, Greece would have been thrown out of the eurozone.

That is why I call on the Belgian government to push the Conference on the Future of Europe to continue this tradition. Let us commit to a true European Defence Union. And let's remove, once and for all, the blocking national vetoes that stand in the way of a common European foreign policy.

Author bio

Hilde Vautmans MEP is foreign affairs coordinator for the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament.

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author's, not those of EUobserver.

Merkel calls for 'real, true' EU army

Angela Merkel's much-anticipated speech to the European Parliament was brief and to the point. Her message: Europe is alone in the world, the EU should be more united on defence, but not on the economy.

Macron's 'European army': why is everyone talking about it?

Few people commented on one key point in Macron's statement: he did not justify the idea of a European army by the need to intervene in Africa, which would have been France's traditional approach. Instead, he invoked the Russian threat,

France calls for EU 'army' to contain Russia

The EU needs a "real European army" to stand up to Russia, the French president has said. It must also fight populism at home by being less "ultra-liberal".

EU takes step toward joint army

The vast majority of EU states have agreed to create the nucleus of a joint army in reaction to Brexit, Trump, and Russia.

EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania

Among the largest sources of financing for energy transition of central and eastern European countries, the €60bn Modernisation Fund remains far from the public eye. And perhaps that's one reason it is often used for financing fossil gas projects.

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

Column

EU's Gaza policy: boon for dictators, bad for democrats

While they woo dictators and autocrats, EU policymakers are becoming ever more estranged from the world's democrats. The real tragedy is the erosion of one of Europe's key assets: its huge reserves of soft power, writes Shada Islam.

Latest News

  1. Kenyan traders react angrily to proposed EU clothes ban
  2. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  3. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  4. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  5. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  6. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  7. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  8. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us