The EU will itself have to be capable of guaranteeing security in the bloc in the future, PM and Juncker agree

The European Union will itself have to be capable of guaranteeing security in the bloc in the future, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker agreed at a joint-press conference in Prague Friday launching a conference on defence. Prime Minister Sobotka stressed that closer cooperation between member states on defence and security in no way was meant to supersede NATO, just the opposite, saying that the alliance stood to benefit. NATO has welcomed the idea of the European defence fund, saying it would allow greater effectivity. Mr Sobotka reminded attendees that one of the founding principles of the EU was to secure long-term peace in Europe, while Mr Juncker said it was not a question of whether the EU should improve its defence capabilities against potential threats but how quickly it could do so.

Author: Jan Velinger