Italian Foreign Minister: We need a European army

The European Union must form its common army that can play a peacekeeping role and prevent conflicts, said Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tayan.

In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa, Taani said closer European co-operation in the field of defence is a priority of the party Forza Italy, which it leads.

If we want to be peacekeepers in the world we need a European army. This is an essential prerequisite for being able to have an effective European foreign policy”, he said in the interview that was published on January 7th.

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

The issue of European co-operation in the field of defence has been raised on the political agenda since Russia began the invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago.

However, the effort has focused more on NATO enlargement, with Finland joining the EU member that joined the alliance last year, and with Sweden also on its way to join NATO.

Tayan also said the 27 EU states must improve their leadership and establish a single presidency, not as the current structure, where the European Council has president and the European Commission also has president.

Taani became the leader of Forza Italy last year after Silvio Berlusconi's death.

The European Parliament's elections in June will be the party's first popularity meter after losing its charismatic leader, Silvio Berlusconi.