16 November 2018•Update: 16 November 2018
By Abdullah Asiran
HAGUE
The Dutch Minister of Defense Ank Bijleveld said Thursday her country's government opposes the establishment of a "European army".
Bijleveld said the vision of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron for a European army is going "far too far".
She noted = the Netherlands will remain responsible for the deployment of its army.
Bijleveld also stressed the Dutch government is not alone, since there are other countries which oppose the EU army.
When necessary, the Dutch army can work with NATO and the EU, but the country is not dependent on them, she added.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday called for creating a European Union army, stressing that Europeans can no longer merely rely on the U.S. for their security.
“We Europeans now have to really take our faith fully into our own hands if we want to defend our union,” Merkel said addressing the European Parliament.
French president Emmanuel Macronsaid earlier that building a European army will reduce dependence on the U.S., adding: "We will not protect the Europeans unless we decide to have a real European army."
