The EU has had a lot of bad ideas, and getting its own army is its latest. From Kit Knightly at off-guardian.org:
The special “Future of the EU” Conference came to a conclusion a few days ago.
There may have been a familiar veneer of “public consultation”, but the aim of the conference was simple: Tell the EU to do what they’ve already been planning to do for years.
If that wasn’t clear from the outset, it became unavoidably obvious a couple of days ago when the conference’s list of 49 “recommendations” was published on April 27th.
You can read the whole list here, if you are so inclined. We have picked out some of the more troubling ones to discuss.
There’s number 21, for example, which suggests:
that the EU improve its capacity to take speedy and effective decisions, notably in Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), speaking with one voice and acting as a truly global player, projecting a positive role in the world and making a difference in response to any crisis
This sentiment is repeated in Number 39, where the conference claims there is a need to…
Improve the EU’s decision-making process in order to ensure the EU’s capability to act, while taking into account the interests of all Member States and guaranteeing a transparent and understandable process for the citizens
STRAIGHT LINE LOGIC 