Europe needed a military headquarters and “should work towards a common military force”, Mr Juncker said, but was quick to add that any efforts to create what critics dub an “EU army” must “complement Nato”.
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Juncker added that any new force would “complement” North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and would not threaten the EU’s transatlantic relations.
Substantive Brexit talks between the United Kingdom and the rest of the European Union (EU) were unlikely to start before the end of 2017, a former European Council president has said.
Juncker said he insists the European Union have a greater role in organizing each member’s military to provide greater security to the region.
EU leaders are trying to steady the ship after Britain’s shock June 23 vote to become the first country to leave the union, already buffeted by a flawless storm of globalization, terrorism and mass migrant flows. As Europe’s biggest-spending European power, the British exit could reduce the EU’s military capacity by a quarter without steps to remedy the situation, analysts say.
“We Europeans can never accept Polish workers being beaten up, harassed or even murdered in the streets of Essex”, Mr Juncker said.
Juncker’s speech came two days before the 27 European Union leaders meet without Britain in the Slovakian capital Bratislava, for a summit aimed at drawing up a roadmap for the post-Brexit future.
More than one million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa flooded into Europe a year ago, sowing divisions across the bloc and fuelling the rise of far-right parties.
“We can no longer depend on the power of individual member states and together we have to make sure we protect our interests”, he told MEPs.
He also proposed to double the capacity and the duration of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), launched in 2015 with the aim of generating investments of at least €315bn euros by 2018, of which €116bn have been already raised. The lack of cooperation in defence matters costs Europe between €25 billion and €100 billion per year, depending on the areas concerned.
“The consequences for Europe of this conflict are immediate but where [is] the European Union, where are the member states, in the negotiations to try to solve this conflict?” he asked.
Even before Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, years of defence budget cuts, as well as militaries that work in isolation, have diminished Europe’s ability to run missions including peace keeping, disaster relief and counter-terrorism operations at home and overseas.
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European Commission said on Wednesday it has chose to set up a Brexit “task force” (Article 50 Task Force) to carry out negotiations with Britain and restated London could have no access to Europe’s single market if it restricts the free movement of people and goods after Brexit.
