Germany and France want a unified European defence force

The ministers of defence of France and Germany, Florence Parly and Ursula von der Leyen, indicated yesterday that their countries will significantly increase military spending and pushed for progress towards a unified European army working in close cooperation with NATO. Parly and Von der Leyen announced the move while speaking at the opening of the Security Conference in Munich (MSC), a key forum on foreign policy being held in the German city until Sunday, where a common European defence is up for discussion. Von der Leyen said Europeans should “have the ability” and “political commitment” for military action in the international arena in order to “count”. The German minister spoke about the fight against Islamist terrorism and indirectly, the growing threat from Russia.

Meanwhile, Parly spoke of the need for Europe to be ready to face threats and present an “autonomous strategy”now that the US “wants less involvement”. Parly stressed: “It is not a question of the EU or NATO,” as the alliance with the US through NATO is“indisputable”.

At the summit, UN Secretary General António Guterres warned of the possibility of a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula and considered the recent progress between Seoul and Pyongyang to be insufficient.