The European Union needs its own army to face up to Russia and other threats, as well as restore the bloc's foreign policy standing around the world, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told a German newspaper on Sunday.
“Juncker’s proposal is definitely aimed against Russia… Instead of a united armed force and a policy of building up arms the EU needs a peaceful foreign policy and disarmament,” the Left Party (Die Linke) spokeswoman Christine Buchholz said in an interview with Der Tagesspiegel daily newspaper.
The leader of the Greens’ parliamentary faction Katrin Göring-Eckardt fully concurred, warning against attempts to put security concerns ahead of foreign policy priorities.
Meanwhile, the idea of giving the EU its own armed force appears to sit well with German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
