European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius has proposed an intergovernmental European treaty to create a new defense union. It is designed to prepare the bloc for self-defense and should include Ukraine, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
Euractiv reports on this.
Kubilius made the proposal as the US seeks to focus on the Indo-Pacific region. The European Commissioner questioned whether current EU treaties are sufficient to support countries in creating a defense union.
“Are the current treaties and the institutions built on them a help or a hindrance to European defense acting as Europe, and not just as a collection of 27 countries? I call for the creation of a true European Defense Union, which would include Great Britain, Norway and Ukraine. And for this, let's conclude a new additional intergovernmental treaty,” he said, adding that it could be developed along the lines of the Schengen Agreement . Agreement on the abolition of passport customs control between the countries of the European Union. .
It is noted that this idea was first voiced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the beginning of her second mandate, along with plans to increase defense spending, production capacity, and coordination between capitals.
Currently, the role of the European Commission remains limited mainly to industrial and internal market policies, while territorial defense is the responsibility of member states and NATO.
Kubilius advocates a greater EU role in defense, including proposals for a Security Council with permanent members, a 100,000-strong EU army, and a new headquarters. All of these ideas go beyond the current treaties.