Presseschau: Vorbereitungen für eine eigene EU-Armee?

03/21/2017

DEBATING EUROPE

Is it time for an EU army?

„Should Europe have its own army? With Britain set to invoke Article 50 on 29 March 2017, one of the largest defence spenders in the European Union is about to leave. Almost 25% of EU defence expenditure currently comes from the UK, and Britain has historically obstructed any moves towards a common EU military. With the British and their veto on their way out (and with President Trump openly questioning US commitment to NATO) could it finally be time to move ahead on security and defence integration?

What do our readers think? We had a comment sent in from Heinrich on our ‘Suggest a Debate’ page, who believes that one day the European Union will have a common army which, possibly, could act as a counterweight to US military might internationally. Is he right? Or is he ignoring political reality?

Is it time for a European army? We asked Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from all sides of the political spectrum to stake out their positions on this question, and it’s up to YOU to vote for the policies you favour. See what the different MEPs have to say, then vote at the bottom of this debate for the one you most agree with! Take part in the vote below and tell us who you support in the European Parliament!

Sabine Lösing: ‚We reject any further militarisation of the European Union and believe that the European Union should be a purely civilian union and not a military union. Therefore, this question is superfluous in the context of our basic program. At the same time, however, I would like to say that, even if one supported this idea, which I do not, it is not constitutionally possible at all in my view. For a European army we would also need a European federal state, with corresponding parliamentary powers which the European Parliament does not have at all.’…“

The full-test article is to be found online on the webpage of debating Europe.