Ministers from 23 countries agreed on a new Treaty on military cooperation.
EU members intend to join the program Permanent structural cooperation (PESCO), which helps participants to optimize the defense of their countries. This is stated in the message on the website of the EU Council.
PESCO will allow members who are willing and able to jointly develop defenses to invest in joint projects or to enhance operational preparedness and the contribution of its armed forces.
The document sent to the EU Council and the head of European diplomacy Federica Mogherini.
The EU Council must now approve the establishment of PESCO by a qualified majority. This can happen at the next meeting of the Council on foreign Affairs on 11 December.
Suggestions for PESCO include work to establish the European medical command, and the network of logistics centres in Europe, the creation of a European centre for crisis response and joint training of officers.
One of the main tasks of the project is to reduce the number of weapons systems and to avoid duplication to save money and to improve joint operations.
The document was signed by 23 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. Other member States can join the program later.
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