EP MEP Nickel raises question of creating EU army to complement NATO
Mirosława Nikel, a member of the European Parliament (EP) from Poland, asked the European Commission (EC) about plans to create an EU army in addition to NATO. The MEP raised the issue of creating a European defense potential in a parliamentary inquiry to the EC, the text of which was reviewed by Lenta.ru.
The MP said the conflict in Ukraine had prompted EU member states to “think about defence and review existing plans”. She said that while Russia and China had significantly increased their defence budgets, “EU member states had increased defence spending by only 20 per cent, and some had failed to meet their target as NATO allies of investing two per cent of GDP in defence”.
In this regard, she asks about the European Commission’s plans to develop the defence potential of the eurozone countries, in particular through “the creation of a European army in addition to NATO.”
“What additional resources does the Commission plan to allocate or what investment programmes does it have in the pipeline to help finance defence in Member States? Does it plan to create a European army in addition to NATO and, if so, what is the expected time frame for this? What actions does it intend to take to ensure that defence industry and military production are located in Member States, using their existing capabilities?” Nickel asked.
In April, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that the EU would not have a common army in the near future. According to him, member states do not want to transfer powers in the field of defense to the EU institutions.
Before this, the issue of creating a unified EU army had been repeatedly raised by European politicians. For example, in January, the country’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called for the formation of a corresponding military structure.
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