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Eurocorps
Topic Started: Nov 1 2014, 06:50 PM (102 Views)
Buffalo

My esteemed colleagues,

Greece would like to revise the role of EUROCORPS and wishes to expand it's role in to a sizable 'real standing army' . With many European nations that are cutting in to their national defense budgets, for austerity reasons, it's vital to for the EU to uphold a strong coordinated Defensive Force who could also be used for peace keeping around the world. The benefit of such a standing force is that participating nations would spend less on their defense budget, sizable standing army is always available, coordinated joint defense on Europe's borders against external threats such as illegal immigration.

Greece will announce soon that it will upgrade their status within the Eurocorps from Associated nation to Framework Nation.
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Litos
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Itō Hirobumi
Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Foreign Minister

We are not wiling to join such a force at this time, but we would applaud its creation.
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iceviking
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Swedish EU delegate

Sweden like Germany will not contribute to this. We are already member of the Nordic Battlegroup.
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winisle
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Douglas Alexander
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

There is some merit to the suggestion made by Greece, but there is also some frightening aspects of the suggestion. I would like to start by asking my German counterpart, is your statement indicative of Germany leaving Eurocorps, of which it is a framework member? Or is it just indicative of not wishing Eurocorps to be an supranational military force, not under the direct command of EU, or Eurocorps, memberstates?

The United Kingdom does believe that a deeper and more involved military cooperation within the European Union is a good thing. We are seeing the benefits of this within NATO, with German fighters patrolling Baltic skies. Cooperation on training, on joint purchases in order to achieve advantages of scale and commonality in case of war are all good things, but to take that the step further, which I assume is the desire of Greece, to go to a joint EU Armed Force, where the European Parliament, or the Commission, is having ultimate power, then we are looking at a HUGE step towards a federalized European Union, and the dissolution of the European nationstates will not be far behind. The United Kingdom will not be part of this.

The most frightening thing in the Greek statement is, and I quote:
Quote:
 
against external threats such as illegal immigration


The day illegal immigration, people fleeing from famine, from war, from illness and from poverty, is a matter so grave that we feel the need to deploy the joint military might of the European Union against it, that is the day we really need to step back and reevaluate our position. Illegal immigration is an issue, yes, and I can understand that Greece, as a nation with less than stellar economy at the moment, and with a geographic position that makes it an easy target for illegal immigrants, has more at stake here than the United Kingdom, but it is still a matter for the national police, and for the European Union to double its efforts to stop the need for these illegal immigrants to flee to our nations, by improving the situation in theirs.

Edited by winisle, Nov 2 2014, 06:47 AM.
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Litos
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Itō Hirobumi
Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Foreign Minister

To clarify, we are willing to remain a part of Eurocorps but we are sure there would be an option for countries not to join an integrated EU command under a single leadership if the plan is to pass.
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Redbirdfan
Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Ambassador Sellal Pierre
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative to the European Union | Ambassadeur extraordinaire et plénipotentiaire Représentant permanent de l'Union européenne

France is also willing to remain in the Eurocorp, especially with our German Allies as part of the "Franco-German" Brigade with provides the majority of firepower to the Eurocorp.
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iceviking
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Anders Ahnlid ,Svensk ambassadör till Europeiska unionen / Swedish Ambassador to the European Union.

Like Germany and France, Sweden is still part of the Eurocorps but under the banner of the Nordic Battle group. We suggest an Eurocorp exercises in Sweden will all members of the Eu/Eurocorps invited to take part in winter battle training at Boden, Sweden. This help get the Eurocorps ready for anything that Russia might throw at us during the winter months. We will gladly accept any member that wish to join us in December for this exercise.
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winisle
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UK Representative

Is this a step away from thed Swedish neutrality? If so, then the UK welcomes the move, and will do what it can to help Sweden.
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Chris
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Stefano Sannino
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of Italy to the European Union

Fellow ambassadors, seizing on the initiative of my Greek colleague, I have some proposals to make on EU military integration. The Treaty of Lisbon makes the option of permanent defence cooperation (PSCD) a possibility in the future, and my government feels that a move toward this end may permit certain cost savings among Member States.
  • Creating an additional Eurcorps from willing participant nations.
  • Establish pooled assets along the lines of EATC for certain specialist roles like AEW aircraft.
  • An agreement that European manufacturers receive preference in tendering for arms contracts.

I would also like to indicate the willingness of my government to participate in exercises in Sweden this winter.
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iceviking
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winisle
Nov 16 2014, 01:17 PM
UK Representative

Is this a step away from thed Swedish neutrality? If so, then the UK welcomes the move, and will do what it can to help Sweden.
Posted Image

Anders Ahnlid ,Svensk ambassadör till Europeiska unionen / Swedish Ambassador to the European Union.

Our neutrality has been questioned ever since we joined the EU and we are also a NATO partner. We believe that maybe a Greek-Italian brigade might be in order, like the Franco-German Brigade, As Sweden is not part of the Eurocorps but is part of the Noedic Battle group, we suggest that Eurocorps are split into a Northern Brigade and a Southern Brigade.
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