Strasbourg, France: Europe will try to increase its own military capacity after the collapse of the US-backed government in Afghanistan, Head of Ursula Von Der Leyen said on Wednesday, announcing the defense summit.
“It’s time for Europe to step into the next level,” Von Der Leyen told the European Parliament, in the annual state of the EU address.
French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a “Summit in European Defense” during the president of the six-month French block, starting from the new year, he said.
Paris has led the encouragement for the unity of 27 countries to develop more autonomous military capacity in addition to the Western alliance, which is traditionally led by the US.
And the collapse of the Afghan government that was fast at the end of the 20-year-old US LED mission in Afghanistan had intensified the debate in Brussels’ about the role of the EU.
But most of the EU countries are also members of Alliance NATO and some, especially the eastern states are exposed to the Russian threat, do not want to weaken bonds with the United States.
“Witnessing an open event in Afghanistan is very painful for family and servicewomen and servicewomen friends,” Von Der Leyen said.
“We have to reflect on how this mission can end up suddenly.
There are very troubling questions that allies must overcome in NATO.” But there is no security problem and defense where lack of cooperation is the answer.
“Von Der Leyen vowed to work with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the declaration with the new EU-NATO to be presented before the end of the year.
EU video feed from the address Von der Leyen showed an image side by side and smiled with NATO leaders, but Stoltenberg had revealed the top skepticism autonomous EU strategy.
“Every effort to build a parallel structure, the duplicate of the command structure, which will weaken our shared abilities to work together,” Stoltenberg told the UK every day of the Telegraph last week.
In the short term EU head promises an additional 100 million euros ($ 118 million) in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan as a wrestling block with a direct fall of the Taliban takeover.
“We have to do everything to prevent the real risks that exist out there from the main hunger and humanitarian disaster,” he said, insisting Europe “standing by the people of Afghanistan”.
New promises come after the European Commission – Executing If the European Union – has attached his humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan for this year to 200 million euros when the country struggles to prevent the Taliban takeover.
Brussels said that there was no assistance going to the new Afghan ruler and demanding the Taliban ensure access to humanitarian workers in this country.
Von der Leyen said the EU would depart full “new, a wider Afghan support package” in the coming weeks.
In a broad speech, Von Der Leyen focused on the block recovery of the Pandemic Coronavirus and efforts to increase inoculation throughout the world.
He said the EU would contribute 200 million doses of covid-19 vaccine to low-income countries, more than double the current promise.
“With less than one percent of global doses managed in low-income countries, scale injustice and clear urgency level,” he said.
On the front of the economy, Von Der Leyen insisted that the block would not repeat the 2007-2008 financial crisis error by imposing sudden budget savings as emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Noting that the last time the eight-year European Union needed to return to the pre-crisis level, Ursula Von Der Leyen told the European Parliament in the annual state of the EU address: “We will not repeat the mistake.” He called the financial crisis “the warning story” where “Europe stated the victory was too fast and we paid the price for it”.