In an interview with German radio on Sunday, Ursula von der Leyen, Germany’s defence minister, also spoke in favour of a European army, pointing out that a brigade of Dutch soldiers was already under German command.
“I think that in the Bundeswehr we would also be prepared, in certain circumstances, to put units under the control of another nation,” she told Deutschlandfunk. “This interweaving of armies, with the perspective of one day having a European Army, is, in my opinion, the future,”
Mr Juncker, a former prime minister of Luxembourg, whose army consists of 900 professional soldiers, has long argued for the establishment of an EU force, making it part of his foreign policy plan during the selection process for the presidency of the commission in 2014. British prime minister David Cameron argued against his appointment, claiming that Mr Juncker was too much of a federalist for the position.
Mr Cameron has repeatedly reassured eurosceptic MPs in his own party that Britain would “never support” any form of EU army.
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