European Commission president calls for creation of EU army

BERLIN - The President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker has called for the creation of an European Union(EU) army, German Newspaper Die Welt reported on Sunday.

"Such an army would help us to build a common foreign and security policy and jointly assume the responsibilities of Europe in the world," Juncker told the newspaper.

Europe could react credibly to a threat to peace in a member state or in a neighboring EU country with its own army, so Russia could get the impression "that we are serious about upholding the values of the European Union", said Juncker.

He stressed the symbolic value of such a project that a common European army would show the world that there will never be war again between EU countries.

It is not a rival to NATO, but of common sense the responsibility of Europe in the world, said Junker.

Also on Sunday, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview with German radio Deutschlandfunk the German army was willing to give the command of some troops to another nation in special cases.

The Defense Minister made the comment after her trip to Warsaw on Wednesday. According to Die Welt, during her trip to Warsaw, Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU needed in the foreseeable future an army.

On Friday, the German army announced for the first time in the history to put a battalion of 600 soldiers under Polish command in mid-2016, while a German Brigade will take command of a Polish battalion in return.

In 2014, the Netherlands had already put 2100 soldiers under German command. In return, the German army plans to be affiliated with the Dutch naval forces.