BRDO, Slovenia (Reuters) – The chaotic Western withdrawal from Afghanistan is likely to be a catalyst for the European Union’s attempts to develop its common defence, the EU’s top diplomat said on Thursday, saying a rapid reaction force must be part of that.
“Sometimes there are events that catalyze history, that create a breakthrough, and I think that Afghanistan is one of these cases,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said before an informal meeting of EU defence ministers in Slovenia.
“We have to look for something more operational,” he said of his call for a “first entry force”. “The need for more, stronger European defence is more evident that ever,” he told reporters.
(Reporting by Robin Emmott and Sabine Siebold; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
