It would command the bloc's “non-executive military missions”. In the future, it would also cover any capacity-building, monitoring or demobilisation and disarmament military missions. Highlighting how controversial the matter still is among EU states, they debated at length on whether the head of the new body should be called a “commander”. Any movement towards an “EU military headquarters” has long been opposed by Britain, the bloc's leading military power, but the idea has been revived by Germany and France since the British voted to leave the EU. Whatever you want to call it, it is a step towards an EU military headquarters with a commander,” a French diplomat said.

Source: Sunday Times March 03, 2017 17:01 UTC