Juncker: EU needs stronger defence arm - BBC NewsEU nations must step up their military co-operation as they cannot simply rely on the US to defend them, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says.
"Our deference to Nato can no longer be used as a convenient alibi to argue against greater European efforts.
"We have no other choice than to defend our own interests in the Middle East, in climate change, in our trade agreements," he said in Prague.
I'm torn on this idea, as this would a quite capable force. One one hand it would relieve US obligations to Europe (which is good), but would possibly become a future competitor. The thought of the EU having a standing army, rather that the respective member states has the the potential to be either really good, or really, really bad (noting who the most powerful members would most likely be).