"I like to talk about more concrete things and I hope that in 2024-25 we will be able to launch the work of a military capacity planning and control body. We are not talking about the creation of a general staff [in Europe], it is not that ambitious, but in general, it is in reference to this," Borrell said at the European Parliament Plenary on Wednesday.
He added that the body is aimed at controlling independent operations conducted, in particular, in inhospitable circumstances for protecting European interests.
On Monday, the EU's first joint field exercise, LIVEX, kicked off in the southern Spanish city of Seville. Borrell said he had met with chiefs of staff from EU member states participating in the drills.
The challenges that the EU are facing, for instance, in the Sahel region, where the European presence "has been reduced unfortunately," the situation in Ukraine, as well as the Middle Eastern crises indicate the necessity of closer cooperation between European servicepeople, Borrell said.