Joseph Borrell: Europe is in danger.
Borrell told reporters that his first draft of the so-called “strategic compass” – the closest the EU could have to a military doctrine – similar to NATO’s “strategic concept” that sets the bloc’s goals – is crucial to security. .
“Europe is in danger,” he said, explaining a comprehensive strategic document sent to the 27-nation bloc for discussion, according to Reuters. “We need to be able to deploy [military] quickly.”
The EU foreign policy chief explained that one idea was for the bloc to have a 5,000-strong force for emergencies, but for the US-led NATO coalition to remain primarily responsible for Europe’s collective defense.
According to the report, EU foreign and defense ministers will consider the issue on Monday with the aim of agreeing on a political document in March.
According to Reuters, EU member states also lack US logistics, command and control capabilities, and cannot match the country’s intelligence gathering.
“We have a strategic responsibility,” Borrell said of the EU’s economic strength as the world’s largest trading bloc. Our citizens want to be protected. “Soft power is not enough.”
“All the threats we face are intensifying, and the capacity of individual member states to counter them is declining and declining,” Borrell said in explaining the draft.
He had previously stressed the need for an independent European defense force, saying the US-British-Australian military pact was in fact a wake-up call for EU-US relations.
