But the mood at a conference on European defence was unusually cheerful, one day after President Emmanuel Macron told the Economist that “we are currently experiencing . “Doubts about the US guarantee led to new openness to the idea of European defence. Prime minister Boris Johnson has asked that after Brexit, the UK continue to participate in both the EDF and the European Defence Agency, which helps defence ministries co-operate. But so far, the accumulation of EU agencies, committees and programmes do not add up to independent European defence. “Regardless of Trump, Nato is a combat-ready institution.

Source: The Irish Times November 13, 2019 17:15 UTC