b- Appeal EU Defence. Roberto Castaldi.

12º BOLETÍN INFORMATIVO «EUROPA SE MUEVE» 07/03.

ANEXO – DECLARACIONES

La reacción de la Unión Europea y Europa frente al cambio de alianzas de Trump

A EU Defence to protect its citizens 

Declaración de declaración de Roberto Castaldi, apoyada por Francisco Aldecoa Luzarraga, Stefan Collignon, Danuta Hübner y Nuno Severiano Teixeira

European citizens are worried and shocked by the new international situation. US President Trump allies with Putin, ends his international isolation, does not condemn his aggression on  Ukraine. Global politics is at a turning point. While the United States have other priorities,  Europeans have finally to assume responsibility for their own security. 

Citizens want the European Union to strengthen its defense identity and act with determination  and coherence. Only united the EU can uphold international law, promote a just and lasting  peace in Ukraine, and a cooperative multilateral order. The EU is a peace project, and part of  a European defence should be put at the disposal of the UN. 

NATO approved a New Force Model providing Europeans to mobilise 300,000 troops within  a month in case of an aggression, before US troops are called upon. A EU defence as a  European pillar of NATO is thus indispensable to our security and to turn the Transatlantic  relation into an equal partnership, with the EU joining the Atlantic Pact. 

The 27 Member States together have the third world largest military expenditure: 33% of the  US with a capacity of 10%, twice as much as Russia, with no deterrent capacity. A European  defence would reduce the amount by which military expenditure will increase to guarantee our  security, freedom, democracy and social system. 

To complete the EU as a democratic Res Publica we call upon the European Commission to  propose, and on the Parliament and the national governments to adopt, the following urgent  measures, also using the passerelle clause and simplified Treaty revision provisions: 

1. Make foreign, security and defence policy a shared competence of the EU, subject to  the ordinary legislative procedure, and with a single EU representation in the international  organizations guaranteed by the Commission. 
2. Swiftly implement the proposals of the Letta, Draghi and Niinisto Reports. 
3. Move fiscal policy to the ordinary legislative procedure and provide the EU with the  power to harmonise corporate taxes, adopt new own resources, issue EU debt to finance the  EU budget and EU public goods, including, but not limited to, a European defence. 
4. Activate the escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact only with regards to the  national contributions to the European defence, like the European Defence Fund, the European  Peace Facility, and the current and future projects and initiatives under the Permanent  Structured Cooperation on Defence (PESCO) and a European Defence System. 
5. Enlarge the scope of the European Stability Mechanism and the European Investment  Bank to finance the creation of a European Defence System. 
6. Accelerate the Iris2 implementation and abolish the national return rule from the  European Space Agency work.  

We call on willing Member states to immediately activate PESCO by qualified majority to set  up the common defence and guarantee the mutual assistance clause by: 

1. Bringing under the EU all existing bilateral and multilateral military cooperations, including  the Eurocorps, the Franco-German Brigade, the Baltic Naval Squadron, the Nordic Defence  Cooperation, the Joint Expeditionary Force, the European Intervention Initiative, etc. 
2. Creating the 60.000 rapid reaction force decided in 1999 by the European Council in Helsinki  and a European Defence System able to mobilise 300.000 troops in a month as provided in the  NATO New Force Model.
3. Building a European air shield against potential missiles attack, similar to the Iron Dome. 
4. Starting the Europeanization of the existing nuclear deterrence capacity of the Member  States. 

It is time for European unity, not for national divisions. Leaders must raise to the challenge  with ambition and vision. This is the defining hour for the EU as a community of values with  a shared destiny, able to protect its citizens and Member States in the face of a turbulent world.  European citizens are determined to act together.