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Olaf Scholz: "Just as strongly legitimized as the Bundeswehr is today"
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz is striving for a common European army that is to be controlled by the EU bodies.
"For me, a common army is part of the idea of European sovereignty," said Scholz of the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung" (FAS).
A European army would therefore have to be “just as strongly legitimized as the Bundeswehr as a parliamentary army today”.
However, this is "not an issue for the short term."
Scholz said that one would "need a democratic structure" to control such an army.
“And this structure can only be a democratically developed European Union.” The agreement on the financing and legitimation of future European military operations should “take place in European bodies, which certainly include the European Parliament”.
Today these powers are in the hands of the national parliaments.
SPD parliamentary group calls for EU troops with 1,500 soldiers
The SPD parliamentary group has long been calling for a new European army.
According to the concept, this army would not replace the national troops, but complement them.
The EU army should therefore be directly subordinate to the EU Commission and be responsible for a newly appointed Defense Commissioner.
He would have to coordinate with the states and have the mandate for the operations approved by the EU Parliament.
According to the SPD plan, the 28th EU Army could start with around 1,500 soldiers.
In the medium term, a size of 8,000 women and men is targeted, it is said.
"A qualified majority decision would also be a democratic decision."
Olaf Scholz
A European army is still »a long way off,« said Scholz.
In the short term, however, much would be gained if "we in the Councils of the European Union move away from the unanimity requirement and take majority decisions - in matters of foreign policy as well as in financial and tax issues."
In defense policy this is not yet possible according to the treaties in force today, but here too, "a qualified majority decision would also be a democratic decision."
slü / AFP
