Defense ministers of European Union member states today agreed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states of the United States, Canada and Norway to join a program designed to accelerate the movement of troops across Europe.
This is the first time the EU has opened the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) program to non-EU countries.
German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer hailed the decision as “a major step forward in concrete cooperation to ensure that troops can be deployed across Europe.”
She said, “This is a very important topic not only for the EU, but also for NATO.”
Growing concern in Europe about Russian aggression after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 has led the EU to aggressively push for plans that would allow for more rapid mobilization of troops across Europe.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said the cooperation program would make the EU’s “defense more efficient and help strengthen our security.”
The EU has allocated a seven-year budget of 1.7 billion euros to help boost “military mobility,” including upgrading infrastructure such as bridges, railroads and roads.
Recent Comments