The EU should allow military coalitions to deal with crises, Germany says

BRDO, Slovenia, September 2 (Reuters) – Germany on Thursday called on the European Union to allow coalition volunteer coalitions to quickly deploy a military force in a crisis as members discuss lessons learned after the chaotic evacuation of Afghanistan.

EU efforts to create a rapid reaction force have been stalled for more than a decade, despite the creation in 2007 of a system of battle groups of 1,500 troops that have never been used due to disputes over funding and reluctance to deploy.

But the departure of U.S.-led troops from Afghanistan has once again put the issue in the spotlight. Read more

“Sometimes there are events that catalyze history, that create a breakthrough and I think Afghanistan is one of those cases,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told Slovenia. a plan in October or November.

Borrell urged the bloc to create a quickly deployable “first entry force” of 5,000 troops to reduce U.S. dependence.

The proposal by Germany, one of the strongest military powers in the EU, but historically reluctant to send its forces into combat, would be based on a joint decision by the bloc, but not necessarily on the 27 members deploying its forces.

“In the EU, volunteer coalitions could act after a joint decision by all,” German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said in a tweet as she and her EU counterparts met in Slovenia.

A rapid reaction force looks more likely now that Britain has left the bloc. Britain, one of the leading European military powers alongside France, had been skeptical of collective defense policy.

EU diplomats say they want a final agreement on design and funding for March, when France takes over its six-month presidency in January.

Kramp-Karrenbauer said the key question was not whether the EU would establish a new military unit, and the discussion should not stop there.

“The military capabilities of EU member countries exist,” he said. “The key question for the future of the European security and defense police is how we finally use our military capabilities together.”

Meanwhile, Slovenian Defense Minister Matej Tonin suggested that a rapid reaction force could include 5,000 to 20,000 troops, but the deployment should not depend on a unanimous EU-27 decision.

“If we talk about European battlegroups, the problem is that, due to the consensus, they are almost never activated,” Matej, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, told reporters.

“Perhaps the solution is for us to invent a mechanism where the classical majority will suffice and those who are willing will be able to move on (forward).”

Reports by Robin Emmott and Sabine Siebold; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky, Hugh Lawson, Peter Graff and Alison Williams

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