(CN) — Following the NATO debacle in Afghanistan, the European Union's president used her annual state of the union speech on Wednesday to urge the bloc to create its own military force.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was time for the EU to have the “political will” to put together a European army capable of operating independently from NATO.
“Europe can – and clearly should – be able and willing to do more on its own,” Von der Leyen, a former German defense minister, said in her speech to the European Parliament, which is at work in Strasbourg, France, after a summer break. “What we need is the European Defense Union.”
For years, Europeans have debated – and disagreed – about the need for a pan-European army, but the idea is becoming more widely accepted after the collapse of Afghanistan, which many Europeans blame on the United States and President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw U.S. troops.
Europeans complain they were not consulted and were forced to pull their troops too from Afghanistan. The NATO debacle led to the takeover of the country by the Taliban and there are growing fears of a massive humanitarian crisis that could push many Afghans to seek safety in Europe.
Since the end of World War II, Europe has largely relied on the U.S. as its military protector, but as the U.S. shifts its attention toward China and Asia many in Europe worry they will become more vulnerable to aggressive military powers such as Russia and Turkey.
Still, the idea of a pan-European army will be a hard sale – and that reality was on display Wednesday as Von der Leyen's speech drew tepid applause from parliamentarians when she spoke about the need for an EU army.
Besides more military might, Von der Leyen said the bloc will seek to assert itself on the world stage by pushing the U.S. and China to do more to combat climate change and by launching a worldwide development fund called the Global Gateway to challenge China's Belt and Road Initiative, which is also known as the New Silk Road.
Her support for an EU army, though, will likely become the most significant and controversial proposal to come out of her speech.
She said an EU army is necessary in “a new era of hyper-competitiveness” where “regional rivalries and major powers [are] refocusing their attention towards each other.”
Europe, she said, is particularly vulnerable because it is close to so many trouble spots.
“We are connected to the world by narrow straits, stormy seas and vast land borders,” she said. “Because of that geography, Europe knows better than anyone that if you don't deal in time with the crisis abroad, the crisis comes to you.”
With so many potential crises looming, she said the EU must be able to act alone when necessary.
“There will be missions where NATO or the United Nations will not be present, but where the EU should be,” she said.
In the past, she said EU leaders lacked the political will to form a pan-European military force.
“You can have the most advanced forces in the world – but if you are never prepared to use them - of what use are they?” she said. “What has held us back until now is not just a shortfall of capacity – it is the lack of political will. And if we develop this political will, there is a lot that we can do at EU level.”
Von der Leyen pointed to Afghanistan as an example of the threats the EU faces and pledged to help the country with 100 million euros ($118 million) in humanitarian aid.
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