Merkel for ‘real, true’ European army

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday made a clear call for a future European army, in an apparent rebuke to US President Donald Trump who has called such proposals “very insulting”. Addressing European MEPs on her vision for the future of Europe, Merkel also called for a European Security Council that would centralise defence and security policy on the continent. “What is really important, if we look at the developments of the past year, is that we have to work on a vision of one day creating a real, true European army,” Merkel told a session of European Parliament, drawing applause and some boos. Merkel added that the proposal could be run in parallel to trans-Atlantic cooperation within the NATO military alliance, but that “only a stronger Europe is going to defend Europe”. “Europe must take our fate into our own hands if we want to protect our community,” she added.