On January 8, 2024, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani publicly proposed that the EU consider creating an army under the control of the EU itself to maintain peace in the EU region and prevent conflicts. However, this proposal immediately sparked fierce criticism from Russia, with Russian spokeswoman Zakharova mocking on social platforms that the EU lacks the conditions to build a strong army and faces conscription problems.
The first problem is that few EU member states, with the exception of France, are capable of forming a strong EU army on their own. Although France is regarded as one of the P5, its military power is gradually weakening overall. As the leader of the European Union, Germany's Wehrmacht is actually only a symbolic existence, which leads to the formation of a flesh-and-blood and combat-ready EU army facing the problem of recruitment.
Second, as the EU and Russia diverge and reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas, the EU's formation of its own military will also face US influence. The United States may take the opportunity to raise the bar and cut off the fuel to put pressure on the EU. Zakharova said that if the EU does not obey the US arrangement, the United States can cut off the EU's lifeline at any time, so that the EU military will eventually become the wedding dress of the United States.
The third problem is that NATO, in the hands of the United States, has become responsible for safeguarding the security of the European region. If the EU were to build its own military, it could cause discontent in the United States, which could be seen as an attempt to challenge the United States' position and increase the protection fees that the United States levied on the EU. This will have a complex impact on the security situation in Europe and make the EU face many diplomatic difficulties.
Despite the obstacles facing the EU, Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani's proposal is not unfounded. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the European Union has been considering setting up its own military to cope with the uncertainty of the regional situation. At the technical level, the EU already has a rapid reaction team at its disposal, which, while currently supported by member states, lays the groundwork for the formation of an EU army.
The EU's movements have also been influenced by the profound lessons of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the US-Russia game. Europe realizes that in its close relationship with the United States, autonomy is limited, and therefore it needs to have an independent military force to defend its interests. In this context, the formation of the EU army has become a common aspiration of European countries.
However, it is possible that the United States will oppose the formation of an independent army by the European Union. First, because NATO is already responsible for security in the European region, the EU may be seen as redundant with additional troops. Second, even if the EU succeeds in building an army, it will face US control and interference if it wants to be independent in command.