Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) The idea of a joint European army, or at least some form of such a defence, is as old as European integration itself. Its creation can be traced back to the end of the Second World War. From the beginning of the Cold War, all the free parts of Europe prioritised ensuring security and effective defence.
Two ambitious projects
The first ambitious plan for the common defence was the so-called Brussels Pact. It brought together the West European countries, including the UK. One of the main reasons for establishing this Pact was to stand united against the potential threat from the USSR. The final impetus for its establishment was the communist coup d‘état in Czechoslovakia in February 1948.
After Italy and West Germany joined in 1954, the so-called West European Union (WEU) ensued. However, this bloc remained in the shadow of NATO throughout the Cold War. Thus, for the duration of its existence, the WEU played only a marginal role and eventually dissolved in 2011.
It is also worth recalling Pleven’s 1950 plan for the European Defence Community, which was not finally implemented. The purpose of the proposal by then-French Prime Minister René Pleven was to solve the question of how to integrate rearmed West Germany into the common European defence.
It was a project for the joint European force as an alternative to West Germany joining NATO. Nevertheless, everything was eventually solved by the integration of Germany into the aforementioned West European Union. The French plan thus lost its relevance and paradoxically came to grief due to the refusal of the French Parliament to ratify the European Defence Community Treaty.
What about today?
None of those mentioned above initiatives was significant for the European defence. The first project remained in the shadow of NATO, and the second one was not eventually implemented. Even today, from time to time, we can hear calls that Europe should have its own joint army. But the main question is whether or not such a project makes any sense nowadays.
A few days ago, I was discussing the idea of the European army with people from my faction of the European People’s Party. Europe should indeed learn to act more independently and not rely all the time on the US’s military capacities. However, the supporters of the joint European army will not be happy with the outcome of the discussion. There are several reasons why the European army makes no sense.
The first reason is the aforementioned existence of NATO. It would be an unnecessary duplication of projects. Sweden and Finland’s accession into NATO proves that this establishment makes sense and remains very relevant. The presence of the US in NATO is perceived as a guarantee for many EU member states. Therefore, with the current existence of NATO, the European army is utter nonsense. We would have to create an expensive command centre, which we have already had in NATO, and it would bring nothing new.
Even projects with much smaller ambitions have failed. In the recent past, the European Rapid Reaction Force was created to strengthen the common defence. The problem is that it has not proved its ability at all. There is no money for funding, no logistical support and no systematic development.
Other problems need to be addressed
Instead of dreaming about the European army, it would be better to focus on other things within the framework of the common defence. One of these is the question of how to take into account the relationship between European security and the Green Deal. In the Czech Republic, the objectives of the Green Deal are mainly discussed in the context of the sustainability of nuclear and natural gas-based energy.
Little is known about its impact on the arms industry in Europe. Its implementation should not be a reason to destroy our arms industry. Unfortunately, the security issue is not reflected in the taxonomy. It would be a mistake to abandon the arms industry just to respect the Green Deal.
No wonder that, e.g., the German defence industry set the alarm bells ringing because of it. This is another area where we really need to review the EU regulations. Europe will not be able to defend itself without a robust arms industry. As long as we do not ensure security in Europe, no doubt we cannot speak about sustainability as well.
It would also be reasonable to promote cooperation among the individual Member States in the area of defence and to start joint development of the weaponry and purchases of both the military software and hardware. We should also strengthen cooperation among our military intelligence services and make use of all the means we currently have at our disposal, including satellite systems, to defend the EU.
Regarding the European army, given the time-proven cooperation within the framework of NATO, it is a utopian idea without much significance that should be discarded.
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