“A pan-European army is the path to economic collapse and unrest” Foreign experts on Caliber.Az

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has advocated for the creation of a European army in order to guarantee peace in the region. The prime minister believes that the establishment of EU armed forces is necessary. He explained his position by citing the changed geopolitical situation. According to him, Europe is facing a new crisis, which is partly related to the shift in U.S. policy with the return of Donald Trump to power. "What we must do is create a European army, armed forces of the community," Sánchez believes.

The Spanish premier noted that the European army would consist of 27 countries, operate under a single flag, and be guided by common interests.

It is also important to remember that not long ago, the governments of Spain, Italy, and France rejected the proposed plan to rearm Europe. The idea's author is considered to be European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The three countries rejected the European Commission's project to increase defense spending through loans, fearing an increase in the already heavy debt burden. According to a high-ranking EU diplomat, some member states have serious doubts about the feasibility of such a plan. Furthermore, they are attempting to avoid further growth of their debt.

Earlier, Ursula von der Leyen presented a plan for the rearmament of the European Union worth 800 billion euros, which involves borrowing up to 150 billion euros from member states for defense purposes.

In such circumstances, is the idea of creating a common EU army feasible? Are there too many contradictions between the member states of this community?

Well-known European experts answered to these questions addressed by Caliber.Az.

Political analyst and Deutsche Welle columnist Konstantin Eggert (Vilnius) believes that the creation of a unified EU army is absolutely unrealistic, especially since no one has yet mentioned dissolving the North Atlantic Alliance.

"Prime Minister Sánchez's statement is simply rhetoric intended to demonstrate some distance from the United States, but nothing more than that. For example, Spain has a very serious shortage in both defense budgets and military training, as well as in army weaponry. This is too much to talk about participating in any European army. So, I wouldn’t even take this seriously, it’s simply impossible," Eggert argues.

PhD and political scientist Greg Simons (Sweden) argues that the idea of 27 European states having identical interests is not entirely absurd.

"There are likely some common interests, but there are also many differences. This proposed format would eliminate any national sovereignty and democratic oversight over the unified armed forces. Not only is this deeply undemocratic, but it is also completely irresponsible, especially considering the disaster Ursula von der Leyen faced as Germany's defense minister. She was promoted to a higher political position within the EU to conceal her incompetence and harmful mismanagement at the German level. Borrowing also violates the EU's own borrowing rules; it's the best way to completely collapse the economy with massive debt and create civil unrest," the doctor noted.

He questions who will pay for this militarism and foolish adventure, and with what resources.

"They have already destroyed their economy with the war in Ukraine. They will need to raise taxes and cut social spending for the weary public. This could very well create a moment similar to the 1789 revolution for the circus of incompetent Eurocrats. The final question: who are they building this 'magical' military force against, Russia or the United States? Either one of them is capable of destroying Europe. I would say that historically, the idea of creating a European army against a mythical ideological enemy has never ended well," said Simons.

German political scientist and professor at the WeltTrends Institute of International Politics (Potsdam) Alexander Rahr, in turn, stated that Sánchez and other European leaders are in panic – Europe is being attacked from all sides: to the east, there's a war with Russia, to the west, trade wars with the United States, from the south, mass migration, and within European countries, there is a rise of right-wing forces.

"The way out for the liberal elites seems to be self-defense, specifically in the creation of their own European army. But the problem is that today only Germany has the money for such militarization. And everyone is counting on Germany to ensure their security. These Europeans no longer expect anything good from the United States," Rahr concluded.