MOSCOW, July 18. /TASS/. The lack of reaction from European Union countries to a remark by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is seeking re-election, about plans to build a European Defense Union, points to a desire to turn the EU into NATO 2.0, Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament) Konstantin Kosachev.
"The recent statement by the European Commission president is alarming not only because she is going beyond her powers as an EU official. At least, as head of the European Commission, she does not have the authority to turn the EU from a regional economic union into a ‘defense union.’ What’s more dangerous is that the member states aren’t reacting to these statements. This implicitly shows that there is a political desire among the majority of European countries to turn the EU into NATO 2.0," the senator wrote on Telegram.
He pointed out that defense policies were within the competence of the EU nation states. "The prospects for military integration within the EU depend on the unity among the heads of state and government in the European Council. Politically, the issue has been stalled despite numerous calls for creating a common EU army or turning the EU into a military alliance. Article 42 of the Treaty of Lisbon only provides for military cooperation between the armies of the member states," Kosachev stressed.
The politician noted the European Union had initially emerged as a coal and steel union and would have remained that "if it wasn’t for the trans-Atlantic ideas promoted by the US."
Kosachev is confident that such actions "will definitely fail to enhance security in Europe and the world."
The European Commission earlier released Ursula von der Leyen’s political platform. She particularly announced plans to build "a true European Defense Union." "To frame the new approach and to identify our investment needs we will jointly present a White Paper on the Future of European Defense in the first 100 days of the mandate," von der Leyen added.