Praised by supporters of total European integration, Defense Europe has returned to the forefront of political discussions, more than a thousand days after the return of war to the European continent and even more so since the election of Donald Trump . The future president of the United States for four years has made worrying statements about the future of the transatlantic alliance in terms of defense.
Coincidence or not with the timing, Prime Minister Luc Frieden defended the idea of a European army, a few hours before the American election. However, the prospect still seems distant. During a conference-debate on Franco-Luxembourg relations, organized Monday at the European School, the French ambassador to Luxembourg Claire Lignières-Counathe, well aware of European issues, was more or less optimistic about the subject. “For the moment, there is no text or directive which defines it (…) But there are embryos of community defense, as during the intervention of special forces in the Sahel,” he said. -she explained.
Coming from the new generation of political figures, DP Christos Floros wanted to be pragmatic on the issue: “It would already be very good to start with a European cybersecurity corps. Because in my opinion, the United States does not want, for the moment, a strong Europe with its own army,” said the president of DP International, who also confided to the audience his perplexity in the face of such developments. . “When I was younger, I never thought I would talk about the army and war in Luxembourg.”
Beyond the acceptance by the American ally of such an idea, European Defense is faced with the need to achieve consensus among the 27. Yet very close on the matter, as the ambassador underlined, the Luxembourg and France, for example, have nuanced visions, the Grand Duchy being deemed more attached to NATO than its neighbor. “The French are also keen on this alliance, but with the need to maintain strategic autonomy,” summarized the French diplomat.
The integration of different countries into such an army obviously responds to different strategies and needs. The Luxembourg army has around 1,150 soldiers, compared to more than 200,000 active soldiers in France.
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