EU member states on Monday gave the go-ahead for greater defence cooperation, in a controversial move that has gained extra relevance following the election of Donald Trump as the next US president, according to dpa. During his campaign, the Republican nominee questioned Washington's traditional willingness to come to Europe's defence, calling on European members of NATO to increase their share of military expenditures. The move towards a stronger EU security and defence policy - seen also as a way of uniting the bloc following Britain's shock June decision to leave - predates Trump's election. "Independently of the result of the US election, it was always clear to us that Europe must shoulder more responsibility," German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said ahead of joint talks with her 27 EU counterparts and the bloc's foreign ministers. "Europe must not await the decisions of others. It must defend its interests," added French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. But the approach has raised concern among some member states, notably Britain, due to fears that an EU military buildup could detract from NATO capabilities. Of the EU's 28 member states, 22 are also part of the military alliance. "Instead of planning expensive new headquarters or dreaming of a European army, what Europe needs to do now is to spend more on its own defence - that is the best possible approach to the Trump presidency," British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has spent several months drafting the bloc's new defence plan, based on Franco-German proposals. "It is not about a European army," Mogherini said following Monday's talks. "And it's not ... about competition or duplication with NATO." Instead, the proposal is about "providing the capabilities, the structures, the tools, and the financial resources" needed to tackle external conflicts and crises, build the capacities of partner states and protect the EU and its citizens, Mogherini added.
