Franco-German treaty a step toward ‘European army,’ Merkel says

AACHEN, Germany — The leaders of France and Germany lay out their commitment to a future joint European Army, an idea that has sparked angry reactions from US President Donald Trump.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says closer defense ties agreed on in a new friendship treaty aim to build a Franco-German “common military culture” and “contribute to the creation of a European army.”

Both Macron and Merkel have pushed the idea of a joint European Army for the bloc that would be part of the wider transatlantic NATO alliance.

Macron tells a forum after the signing ceremony that as “authoritarian powers are emerging everywhere … let’s build a real European army to protect ourselves and have a real foreign policy.”

Trump has strongly demanded that European NATO members, especially Germany, pay more for their joint defense but has attacked the idea of a separate European army.

In the new accord, meant as a followup to the 1963 Elysee Treaty, both France and Germany pledge to stand shoulder to shoulder in case of a military attack against either of them, reaffirming a commitment already written into EU and NATO treaties.

Paris and Berlin will also create a new joint Defense and Security Council and seek to harmonize rules for military equipment procurement.

— AFP