The newspaper added that Berlin and Paris had set up several conditions, such as obligatory payments on defense and annual inspections of the countries' armed forces, that the member states have to fulfill to participate in the project.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is expected to propose the initiative for consideration before the end of September and after that the EU members would have three months to decide on their participation, the news outlet added.
The discussions of the European Union's defense have been taking place for years. They have intensified after the victory of Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential election due to the politician's statements that the US allies should increase the contribution to the defense.
