European Commission President calls for alternative to NATO
In recent years, many European leaders have pushed for the creation of a joint European force, independent of US control.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for an alternative to NATO, stressing that Europe needs to take greater responsibility for its own security.
Her comments come amid growing demands from the United States for members of the US-led military bloc to spend more on defense, uncertainty about future support for Ukraine, and concerns about a possible shift in Washington's commitment to European security.
"NATO remains the cornerstone of our defense. But it is clear that we need a pan-European defense force," von der Leyen said at a press conference in Lithuania on February 9.
“Modern warfare requires scale, technology and coordination that is too great for any one country to handle on its own,” she added, calling for increased funding, “from both the public and private sectors.”
According to the female politician, the future strategy for European defense will be presented to EU leaders in mid-March.
Before the Ukraine conflict, French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel were strong advocates for the creation of an EU army.
In 2019, Mr Macron described NATO as "brain dead" and called on European leaders to pursue a policy of "strategic independence" from Washington, which has dominated security policy on the continent through NATO since World War II.
One proposal is to create a "real, European army" to independently strengthen the continent's security.
Although then-NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that the move would “weaken the bond between North America and Europe,” Italy supported the idea. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani argued that the bloc could not have a credible foreign policy without a common military.
However, the idea has met with strong opposition from other European countries. In 2024, the then-top EU diplomat Josep Borrell said that while the bloc should work to strengthen its members' military capabilities, this did not mean creating a common army.
Several EU countries, including Denmark and Poland, have also signaled that they want their security guaranteed within the current NATO framework.
President Macron recently announced that France would double its defense budget and called on other EU countries to do the same, citing the possibility that America's interest in European security would lessen after Donald Trump returned to the White House.
The United States has provided more than $65 billion in military aid to Ukraine since February 2022. However, President Trump has questioned this support, saying Kiev has "had enough" and supporting a peace deal with Russia.
The EU significantly increased its defense spending after the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. Since then, Germany, France and other EU countries have pledged record increases in defense budgets.
