Afghanistan pullout and EU for more military involvement

The EU’s agent for taxation and economics, Paolo Gentiloni, spoke to CNBC about a necessity for the alliance to develop on the geopolitical stage. At the same time, the U.S. and the rest of the Western allies decided to take a step back.

At Saturday’s European House Ambrosetti Forum, he told CNBC that they represent an economic superpower, but they cannot be entirely absent in the geopolitical position.

Gentiloni called a terrible completion to the war in Afghanistan as one example of the west reducing its commitments on the global platform. His comments played as additions to the argument that the EU should develop a standard defense policy, which many people see as a predecessor to an entire EU army.

When asked whether this might threaten NATO, including some EU nations, Gentiloni said that he thinks they can coexist very well.

Overview

Many see NATO as one key reason the EU did not start establishing its army within the alliance. Critics are also suspicious of additional integration in the EU.

Gentiloni said that the west established NATO mainly to prevent Russia’s presence in Europe. He added that these functions remain crucial. He also mentioned that he sees himself as a strong supporter of NATO. Later, he tried to make his comments more straightforward. Gentiloni said that if the role of the European Union is growing with an excellent economic recovery while managing to be on the lead on climate change, they cannot be wholly silent on the geopolitical dynamics.

This week, Josep Borrell, EU foreign policy chief, told reporters in Slovenia that the alliance should create a first entry army of 5,000 troops to decrease its dependency on the U.S.

EU established its battlegroups of 1,500 troops in 2007, but they have never deployed them.