THE NEED FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION ARMY/ ON ARMED FORCES

Abstract

The Joint European Army has been a topic of discussion in the European Union in recent months. The idea of a common European army goes back to the beginnings of European integration within the mainstream of integration, which resulted in its current form of the European Union. After the end of World War II, the idea of creating a joint forces do defend Europe became very topical. The result was a proposal to sign the Brussels Treaty (its signatories were France, Great Britain, and the Benelux coutries) in March 1948, in response to the growing influence of expansion of the Soviet Union and the countries of the Eastern Europe. Subsequently, it was the Schuman Declaration of 1950, which resulted in the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). The idea of creating a joint European army was renewed at the highest political level under the influence of several factors, in the form of speeches by a top German politician (former German Chancellor Angela Merkel), France (French President Emmanuel Macron), and the European Commission (former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker), who, however, did not offer its specific form or time interval. Therefore, the idea remains abstract. The authors of the article, based on a historical analysis of the needs for building a joint European army and the requirements of the present, also in relation to the current Russia-Ukraine conflict, point to the need to create an institution in Europe (e.g., a joint European military forces) ensuring peace and security. In general, the authors of the article are of the opinion that the need to address the problem of the European Union’s defence integration is highly topical and could help Europe by becoming a major global player in ensuring peace and security in the world.