European army

A European army is a hypothetical supranational military of the European Union that would supersede the current Common Security and Defence Policy and would go beyond the proposed European Defence Union, which would still rely on national forces.

Since no such unified army is currently established, defence is a matter for the member states individually. The member states are, however, bound by several obligations arising from international treaties, and they conduct several multinational initiatives.

The idea of a European army was first discussed in the 1950s. Both as a lesson from two World Wars, where national armies have caused mass destruction in Europe, and as a result of the escalation of the Cold War due to the Korean War, together with an acute fear of a further expansion of the Soviet sphere of influence into Western Europe, the British prime minister Winston Churchill, among others, called in August 1950 for a common European army with West German participation:

We should make a gesture of practical and constructive guidance by declaring ourselves in favour of the immediate creation of a European Army under a unified command, and in which we should all bear a worthy and honourable part.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe subsequently endorsed the creation of a European army in a resolution on August 11, 1950 at the request of the United Kingdom:

The Assembly, in order to express its devotion to the maintenance of peace and its resolve to sustain the action of the Security Council of the United Nations in defence of peaceful peoples against aggression, calls for the immediate creation of a unified European Army subject to proper European democratic control and acting in full co-operation with the United States and Canada.

On September 11, 1950, also US Secretary of State Dean Acheson spoke in favor of a common European army with German participation.

In October 1950, French Prime Minister René Pleven substantiated the idea by outlining the creation of a common army of the "inner six" countries (Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany) under a European defense minister and ministry. This should strengthen defence against the Soviet threat without directly rearming Germany in the wake of World War II.^[2][3] In November 1950, the Bundestag approved the German contribution to the "Pleven Plan".

Subsequently, negotiations on the specific structure of such a European Defence Community (EDC) ensued. In May 1952, the EDC Treaty was finally signed by all participating foreign ministers. As a long-term vision, it even envisioned the merging of Europe into a political union (the so-called European Political Community).^[4]

However, in France a Gaullist (and therefore EDC-skeptical) government had by then taken power. Consequently, the French National Assembly rejected ratification of the already signed treaty in August 1954. The Pleven Plan had thus failed.^[5] Instead, in 1954 the members of the Brussels Pact, together with West Germany and Italy, founded the Western European Union (WEU) as a common defence alliance at the London Conference.

During the Cold War, Western Europe mainly relied on NATO for defence, precluding the development of European cooperation.^[6] Immediately after the "fall of communism", the defence apparatus was preoccupied by NATO expansion into the former Soviet bloc. However, with the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) was explicitly assigned to the competence of the newly founded European Union – albeit only within the framework of the intergovernmental "second pillar". In this process, the EU worked closely with the WEU and also assumed its Petersberg tasks.

The idea of a European army gained popularity after the September 11 attacks and NATO's involvement in conflicts outside of Europe. In a phenomenon dubbed diversification of European security, NATO has come to be responsible for "hard" threats while the European Union has taken a greater role in "soft" threats, including peacekeeping in the western Balkans.^[6] In April 2003, representatives from Germany, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg met again at a summit to launch a renewed effort to create a European army within the framework of the CFSP. They envisioned the Eurocorps to serve as the core of a "European intervention force", given they had already demonstrated their ability to cooperate effectively in Kosovo. However, Spain showed no interest, presumably to avoid jeopardizing its good relations with the United States.

In March 2007, German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged during her Council presidency: “We need to move closer to a common European army.”^[7] Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt seconded: “A European army of 100,000 soldiers would significantly improve European defense readiness and strengthen NATO. Moreover, an EU army would save costs because the inefficient division of the Union into national defense markets would finally be overcome.”^[8]

The 2009 Treaty of Lisbon also has furthered defence integration within the EU by establishing an explicit Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).^[6][9] Crucially, it also added a mutual defence clause in Article 42 of the EU Treaty.^[10] Furthermore, it opened the possibility of a Permanent Structured Cooperation in defence, which was activated in 2017.

In 2019, Germany and the Netherlands activated 414 Tank Battalion, the first that included soldiers from two EU countries. The battalion was created because Germany did not have enough soldiers, while the Netherlands lacked tank capability. This was described as a step towards a European army.^[3] However, the experience of the Franco-German Brigade in Alsace has been different, facing challenges due to greater linguistic and cultural differences. Notably, Germany's "innate caution since World War II about military intervention."^[3]

Under the current arrangement, there is no common EU army and defence is reserved for the member states.^[11] However, given the continuing threat from Russia, at latest since the invasion of Ukraine, as well as the decreasing support from the United States under Donald Trump, the debate about a European army has gained momentum in recent years again.^[12]

According to current Treaty on European Union article 42(7):^[13]

If a Member State is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. This shall not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States.

According to the legal opinion prepared for the European Parliament, such obligation is stronger^[14] than NATO Article 5:

The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.

Both treaties recognize article 51 of Charter of the United Nations which states:

Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security.

Accordingly, a hypothetical attacker on the territory of the European Union would impose an obligatory reaction from all European Union Member States which (by all the means of their power) can use their military forces respectively, except in situations where the Security Council has taken measures to restore peace according to article 51 of United Nations Charter.

Under the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy, several military units and institutions have already been established to coordinate a common defence. This includes the EU Military Committee, the EU Military Staff, and the European Defence Agency. Also, the EU has already deployed joint EUFOR troops under European command on several occasions. However, albeit serving on supranational level, they are still all staffed by national service members.

Eurocorps is an autonomous military force of France, Germany (founding states), Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg and Poland (framework states) and Austria, Greece, Italy, Romania and Turkey (associate members)^[15] whose aim is to maintain common headquarters and command of selected national military units, up to 65,000 personnel.^[16]

The soldiers of Eurocorps are provided by their respective nations. The missions of the Eurocorps are generally assigned under the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), under the European Union Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), or pursuant to a joint decision taken by the contracting parties. According to a separate agreement, Eurocorps forces can be put under the command of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe.^[17]

An EU battlegroup is a military unit based on staff contributions from a coalition of EU member states in size around 1,500 personnel and funded from Common Foreign and Security budget. Their deployment is subject to a unanimous decision by the Council of the European Union. Battlegroups are employable across the full range of tasks listed in article 43(1) of the Treaty on European Union: conflict prevention, initial stabilisation, humanitarian interventions and rescue tasks, crisis management and peacekeeping. EU Battlegroups are based on the principle of multi-nationality allowing even non-EU members, for example Nordic Battlegroup was joined by Norway which is not a member of the EU.^[18]

In 1995, the European Maritime Force was formed by France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain to fulfill missions such as sea control, humanitarian missions, peacekeeping operations, crisis response operations, and peace enforcement. Missions can be deployed under European Union (EU), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or United Nations (UN), mandate, and also as the four partner nations agree. The managing body of EMF is the High Level Inter-Ministerial Committee (CIMIN) composed by Chiefs of Defense (CHOD), Political Head Directorates of Defense and Foreign Affairs Ministries.^[19]

European Gendarmerie Force is a multinational military gendarmerie force with units provided by Koninklijke Marechaussee, Arma dei Carabinieri, Guardia Civil, Gendarmerie Nationale Française, Guarda Nacional Republicana, Jandarmeria Română and Żandarmeria Wojskowa, performing missions deployed outside European Union for supporting local forces with training, intelligence, analysis, policing, the fight against organized crime and counter-terrorism, border management, including the fight against smuggling and trafficking of human beings. The management is performed by the High Level Interdepartmental Committee (Comité InterMInistériel de haut Niveau or CIMIN) where each member state is represented.^[20]

The NATO Response Force (NRF) is a highly ready and technologically advanced, multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and Special Operations Forces (SOF) components that the NATO Alliance can deploy quickly, wherever needed. The Supreme Allied Commander Europe has 10 European NRF under command, including Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (Gloucester, United Kingdom), Eurocorps (Strasbourg, France), Rapid Reaction Corps (Lille, France), 1st (German/Netherlands) Corps (Münster, Germany), Rapid Deployable Corps-Greece (Thessaloniki), Rapid Deployable Corps-Italy (Solbiate Olona), Multinational Corps Northeast (Szczecin, Poland), Multinational Corps Southeast (Sibiu, Romania), Rapid Deployable Corps-Spain (Valencia), Rapid Deployable Corps-Turkey (Istanbul).^[21] The total personnel of NFR is around 40,000 troops.^[22]

The term "European army" is vague and it is not entirely clear what it would entail.^[23] Increasing integration would make security more efficient and less expensive for member states.^[9]

French president Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel have both expressed their support for a joint European army. Macron endorsed the idea in 2018, after the United States withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and in light of American President Donald Trump's scepticism of Atlanticism.^[24] Other European politicians who have expressed support include former French prime minister Alain Juppé (in 1996),^[25] former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, former Czech prime ministers Miloš Zeman and Bohuslav Sobotka, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. A European army is on the official programme of the European People's Party.^[26]

Former Dutch deputy prime minister Kajsa Ollongren supported the idea while former defence minister Ank Bijleveld opposed it.^[27] It is also opposed by Eurosceptic politicians in the EU, such as Ryszard Legutko.^[2][24] NATO has been described as the "biggest obstacle" to a European army.^[28]

A 2019 survey found that 37% of Dutch citizens "approved the idea of a European army" while 30% are opposed to formation of an army of all EU members.^[29]

In 2021, the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella spoke about the need to create a European army, after the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan ended the War in Afghanistan allowing the takeover by the Taliban.^[30][31] Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi also spoke in favour of the creation of the European army to protect Europe's borders.^[32] The Italian Army General, Claudio Graziano, Chairman of the European Union Military Committee, also expressed the need to set up a European army as soon as possible.^[33]

At the 2021 State of the Union address delivered by the President of the European Commission to the European Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen said to European Union members that "what we need is the European Defence Union" and that "the European Union is a unique security provider. There will be missions where NATO or the UN will not be present but where Europe should be... There have been many discussions on expeditionary forces. On what type and how many we need: battlegroups or EU entry forces. This is no doubt part of the debate – and I believe it will be part of the solution. But the more fundamental issue is why this has not worked in the past." and announced a 'Summit on European defence'^[34]

On 17 September 2021, the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi talked about the European army at the end of the EuMed summit in Athens, with an urgent tone for its establishment. ^[35]

The announcement of the AUKUS "trilateral security partnership" between Australia, UK and US to "sustain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region" is seen as an attempt to limit China's rise as a global military power. However, this has led to some mistrust in Europe, in particular in France, that has contributed to increasing the process of the formation of a European Army.^[36][37]

On 28 September 2021, Greece and France signed a multibillion-euro military agreement. The Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the idea of a European army "a mature proposal" and that this agreement could be a first big step towards a European army.^[38]

The Paneuropean Union actively supports the creation of a European army.^[39]

On 5 November 2024, in the midst of Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 United States presidential election, Luxembourgian Prime Minister Luc Frieden called for the formation of a European Army stating that "Russia's unacceptable invasion of Ukraine has been a wake-up call."^[40]

On 15 February 2025, in a speech at the 61st Munich Security Conference, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the creation of an "Army of Europe" in order to counter Russia with the prospect of wavering support from the United States. This follows the previous day's speech of Vice President of the United States JD Vance, in which he called for Europe to "step up in a big way" in regard to its own defense.^[41]

In a speech to Spain's parliament on 26 March 2025, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for establishing a European army. He highlighted worries about Russia reviving its historical imperialist goals and stressed the need for Europe to strengthen its collective defense.^[42]

According to NATO officials, the alliance has discouraged independent European defence capabilities, both as an attempt to avoid duplication and as a moral hazard effect from US defence subsidies prompting less military spending by European countries. The United States ambassador to NATO also expressed opposition to any European protectionism in developing its own defence industry. Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the European Union could not defend itself without NATO and should not try to form a European army.^[28]

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of NATO's presence in Italy, Mattarella spoke of a strengthening of European defense within the alliance with NATO.^[43]

In April 2022, YouGov conducted a survey in sixteen European Union member countries and the United Kingdom asking about support for the creation of an integrated European army. The results of this survey are presented in the table below.^[44]

Country	Support	Opposition	Don't know	Lead	Change since 2021
Poland	57	21	22	+36	3%
Romania	51	23	26	+28	4%
Hungary	50	29	21	+21	5%
Lithuania	62	22	16	+40	5%
Finland	53	21	25	+32	8%
Sweden	48	27	25	+21	9%
Denmark	41	39	20	+2	5%
Spain	64	21	15	+43	7%
Greece	55	27	17	+28	8%
Italy	50	30	20	+20	0%
Netherlands	61	23	17	+38	9%
Germany	58	27	15	+31	4%
France	55	24	21	+31	3%
United Kingdom	34	35	30	–1	10%
Croatia	49	23	28	+26	—N/a
Slovakia	44	37	19	+7	—N/a
Bulgaria	39	33	28	+6	—N/a

• Defence forces of the European Union
• Permanent Structured Cooperation – European Union defence policy agreement
• European Defence Agency – Agency of the European Union
• EU Battlegroup
• 414 Tank Battalion
• Lithuanian–Polish–Ukrainian Brigade – Trinational military unit formed in 2014

• An integrated European regiment: A proposed evolution in the Eurocorps and ESDI in NATO