Von der Leyen: The EU must gain the ‘political will’ to build its own army | European Union

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU must learn the lessons of the abrupt end of the US-led mission in Afghanistan and gain the “political will” to build up its military to deploy in future crises. .

In her annual State of the Union address at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, von der Leyen, the former German defense minister, said the withdrawal of the US-led mission in Afghanistan, and the subsequent collapse of President Ashraf Ghani’s administration, raised troubling questions. .

“In the past weeks, there have been many discussions about rapid response forces. About what kind and how many we need: combat groups or forces entering the European Union,” said von der Leyen. “This is undoubtedly part of the discussion – and I think it will be part of the solution.”

But she said there was a more “fundamental” problem in EU capitals. “You can have the most advanced forces in the world – but if you are not prepared to use them at all – what is their use?” She said. “What has stopped us so far is not just a lack of capacity – it is a lack of political will. And if we develop this political will, there is a lot we can do at the EU level.”

Lack of defense investment by EU governments and concerns about the risk of undermining NATO, especially by eastern EU member states, were among the main obstacles to creating a unified European military wing. Overall government spending in the 27 EU member states on defense was 1.2% of GDP in 2019 compared to 3.4% in the United States.

Von der Leyen said she was working with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to produce a “new declaration” on EU-NATO relations by the end of the year. Six EU member states are not in the military alliance – Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Malta and Sweden.

Von der Leyen said there would be crises as the European Union’s military force must operate independently of both the United Nations and NATO. “On the ground, our soldiers work alongside police officers, lawyers and doctors, with humanitarian workers and human rights defenders, and with teachers and engineers,” she said.

The idea of ​​common defense, which some EU critics have attacked as evidence of nation-building, has a long and torturous history.

Two EU combat groups of 1,500 soldiers, meant to be filled alternately by member states, were formed in 2007 but never deployed, in part due to a shortage.

Besides mustering the will and ability to put soldiers on the ground, von der Leyen said EU intelligence services and other agencies need to share information. It also suggested that in order to build up the EU’s defense sector, and ensure that equipment used by European armies is “interoperable,” value-added tax on purchases from local arms dealers could be waived.

A leaders’ summit dedicated to European defense by von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron, will be held in the first half of next year, when France takes over the EU’s rotating presidency. “It is time for Europe to take it to the next level,” von der Leyen said.

The current German Defense Minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, said: “Ursula von der Leyen is right. […]The true defense of the EU depends on the political will of the member states. That’s why Germany and France should be ahead.”

Ursula Wunderlin is right: #EU needs a big leap forward in defence. The proposed EU defense summit in 2022 will be very important. The true defense of the EU depends on the political will of the member states. That is why you should lead Germany and France. #Alliance of the willing

– A. Kramp-Karrenbauer (@akk) September 15, 2021

While the comments were generally well received in the room, Martin Schwerdmann, head of the left-wing group in Parliament, criticized the committee for “demanding more armaments and military solutions” rather than directing funding to alleviate the suffering of the poorest. Some EU governments have also expressed skepticism about the ads. One diplomat complained that “Europe will address its defense weaknesses with a declaration, summit, agency and the abolition of value-added tax”. “Vision: Embodied Technocracy.”

Other than that, the rhetoric was remarkably rare regarding eye-catching announcements or initiatives, likely reflecting a desire on the part of the commission chairperson not to get involved in the German election campaign.

The two European Commissioners, Margrethe Vestager of Denmark and Elva Johansson of Sweden, bring up some knitting while listening. The question of Brexit or the EU’s relationship with the UK has not been raised, and has been a central part of such rhetoric since 2016.

The commission chief also ignored critics of the European Union’s introduction of vaccines, which initially seemed slow compared to the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel. “More than 70% of adults in the European Union receive full vaccinations,” she said. “We were the only ones who shared half of our vaccine production with the rest of the world. We have delivered more than 700 million doses to the European people, and we have delivered more than 700 million doses to the rest of the world, to more than 130 countries. We are the only region in the world to achieve this.” .

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