German chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday backed the idea of creating a “real, true” army for the European Union as the geopolitical alliances are redrawn all over the world. The German chancellor, who has already announced this is her last term in office, also called for a European security council with a rotating presidency of each EU member state, “where decisions can be made more rapidly”. “The time when we can rely on others have passed, we have to take our fate into our own hands if we want to defend our community,” Merkel told the European Parliament. She said EU countries have to coordinate more on foreign policy and stand united in the world. EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in September said the EU executive would propose new rules to shape some foreign policy issues by majority decisions, rather than unanimity among member states to avoid EU countries blocking common positions. Merkel called for an EU rapid reaction force that would be turned into a “real, true” EU army, which would be a “supplement” to Nato, the military alliance with the US and Canada. “What is really important, if we look at the developments of the past year, is that we have to work on a vision of one day creating a real, true European army,” Merkel said drawing applause – and some boos – in the chamber. At the weekend, Merkel, Macron, Trump and other world leaders marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One… [Read full story]
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