EU defence ministers on Thursday approved the participation of NATO members the United States, Canada and Norway in a project aimed at speeding up the movement of troops around Europe.

The decision marks the first time the bloc has opened up an initiative from its Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) pact to involvement from outside nations.

German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer hailed the move as a "quantum leap in concrete cooperation when it comes to ensuring that troops can be deployed in Europe across national borders".

"This is a very important topic, not only for the European Union, but also for NATO," she said.

The push to facilitate troop transfers around the continent has gathered steam in the face of increased anxiety over Russian aggression since Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the joint project would make the bloc's "defence more efficient and contribute to strengthen our security".

The EU has designated 1.7 billion euros ($2 billion) over the next seven years to helping bolster "military mobility" including by upgrading infrastructure like bridges, rail and roads.

The Dutch-led project aims to cut bureaucratic waiting times for the cross-border movement of troops.

"The admission of these three key EU partners and NATO allies to the EU project is of great significance to the transatlantic bond and will further contribute to enhance EU-NATO cooperation in this area," the Dutch defence ministry said.

All but two EU nations signed up to the landmark PESCO agreement in 2017 to increase cooperation as the bloc's ambitions on common defence gained pace.

- NATO welcomes move -

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg -- who was meeting the EU defence ministers at their first in-person gathering in a year -- welcomed the move.

"Non-EU allies play an essential role in protecting and defending Europe," he said.

He pointed to major NATO military exercises about to start that will see US, Turkish and British troops deployed on the continent.

"It demonstrates also the importance of moving NATO troops quickly through Europe and that's also a reason why military mobility is so important."

Debate has raged for decades over what role Brussels should play on defence, and EU member nations, most of which are also NATO allies, have often been reluctant to integrate military capabilities.

The departure of Britain from the bloc saw the EU lose significant military and diplomatic heft, but it also removed from the Brussels conversation a fierce opponent of anything that might lead to a European army.

Related Links
The Military Industrial Complex at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

NGOs call on UN to hit Myanmar with arms embargo
United Nations, United States (AFP) May 5, 2021
About 200 non-governmental organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, on Wednesday called on the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo on the military junta in Myanmar. The call comes despite opposition from China - the junta's main backer - and Russia, which both hold veto-wielding power on the Council, to any sanctions amid the months-long crisis in the former Burma. "No government should sell a single bullet to the junta," which seized power on February 1 ... read more