– EuroArmy...For Peace or War?

No retreat over Euro army as force remains on track
FRASER NELSON

THE European Union is to press ahead with plans for its own military force even if the constitution is abandoned following results from the eight countries holding a referendum on the treaty.

The European Defence Agency (EDA), which critics fear is designed to rival NATO and break the Atlantic alliance, will get the go-ahead once Britain takes up its six-month EU presidency in July.

In preparation for Britain taking over the European Council presidency, the Foreign Office has formed a plan which would deal quickly and efficiently with difficulties raised by any single country's rejection of the constitution.

Regardless of the French vote and the results of any EU member's referendum, the main point of the British Foreign Office plan is defence co-operation - one of the few areas where France and Britain have long agreed. Since the Iraq war, Mr Chirac has been keen for the EU to take its own decisions on diplomacy.

Now, the main forum for debate is NATO, where the US is by far the dominant member. Since the end of the Bosnia campaign, the organisation has been increasingly sidelined.

Article I-31 of the EU Constitution says "a European Defence Agency shall be established to... participate in defining European capabilities and armaments policy". This is part of a "common defence and security policy".

Government sources have privately confirmed to The Scotsman that the EDA will continue to grow even though the constitution has been vetoed by France and possibly other members - and may well have doubled its staff by the end of the year. It has already been set up in Brussels, with 50 staff discussing military procurement for member states.

And in a move which has assuaged Mr Blair, it is being led by a former Ministry of Defence official, Nick Whitney. He has confirmed that his job will involve setting up a "European defence identity" - suggesting a distinct geopolitical role for the EU.

A government source said it can be held up as an example of how the EU agenda can proceed even in the face of any rejection of the constitution.

"Not everything that is in the constitution actually needs the constitution," said the source. "If it is voted down, there are several projects we can proceed with anyway, and the EDA is one of them."

The same tactics may also be employed to give Brussels a diplomatic corps. Article III-296 specifies that the EU Foreign Minister "shall be assisted by a European External Action Service" - a diplomatic corps, edging out the presence of nation states.

Even when the constitution is voted down, it remains possible for this corps to proceed, albeit with a different name.
 

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