Italian foreign minister calls for formation of EU army

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that the EU should create a unified army that could be used for crisis resolution and peacekeeping.

Tajani stated that the Forza Italia party, which he leads, prioritises deeper European security cooperation in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa.

“If we want to be peacekeepers in the world, we need a European military. And this is a fundamental precondition to be able to have an effective European foreign policy,” he said in an interview published on Sunday.

“In a world with powerful players like the United States, China, India, Russia – with crises from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific – Italian, German, French or Slovenian citizens can only be protected by something that already exists, namely the European Union,” he added.

The political emphasis has shifted towards European military cooperation following Russia’s complete invasion of Ukraine over two years ago.

However, with Finland, an EU member, joining the alliance last year and Sweden on course to follow suit, efforts have been more directed on NATO expansion.

In addition, Tajani stated that the existing system of having a president of the European Council and a head of the European Commission should be abandoned in favour of a single presidency for the 27-nation EU.

The foreign minister took over as head of Forza Italia when Silvio Berlusconi passed away in the previous year.

June’s European Parliament elections will serve as the party’s first barometer of public sentiment following the passing of its charismatic former leader.