Germany’s DW TV, on the 13th of November 2017, broke the news that,
“Today 23 EU countries took a key step towards setting up a European Defense Union. It’s seen as a way of promoting unity in Europe especially after Brexit.”
EU’s Commission Vice President and European Union Foreign Affairs Chief, Federica Mogherini, remarked to the signatories,
“… I was looking at you all signing something that just one year ago most of us and most of the rest of the world considered impossible to achieve.”
Why Now
DW TV reminded its listeners about one of the circumstances that has made this day a reality.
“At the same time, the US is pushing Europe to pay more for own security.”
And the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, commented to reporters that,
“It comes at a time of significant tension.”
DW TV added,
“Europe is closing ranks and deepening integration after Brexit.”
Defense Fund
A Reuters article, updated on the 13th of November 2017, said a $5 billion defense fund and other monetary support is underway. It also stated that representatives of Denmark, Ireland, Malta, Portugal, and Britain, of course, did not sign.
The pact comes on the heels of news last week that Britain was given two weeks to spell out how it would honor its final financial obligation to the European Union.
This is not really a huge surprise to regular In the News readers. Read our related article titled, Sep 14, 2016 – Push for Militarized EU
Photo courtesy of Antonio Ponte, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
