01 November 2016
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A recent speech by the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini set out the EU's military ambitions in "this new phase of our global politics" in which there will be "a growing request for a principled global security provider." The speech was made the day it was announced that Donald Trump would become the next President of the United States of America.
See: Speech by High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini at the annual NATO – Industry forum (pdf)
From the speech:
"I believe in this new phase of our global politics, Europe will be more and more an “indispensable power”. We see it today, I think, very clearly. There will be a growing request for a principled global security provider. For a super-power that believes in multilateralism and cooperation and partnership. For a reliable partner for peace, for growth and for democracy. There will be a rising call for a stronger European Union in the world. We are seeing this even in those hours.
None of our Member States, as Elzbieta was very well saying, can answer this call alone. Nor the big Member States neither the small Member States. And let me share with you something I repeat very often: I believe EU Member States are of two kinds: the small ones and those which are not yet realised that they are small. We are living in a world that has a different size today.
On the military side, in particular, we cannot rely totally on our American friends to fill the gaps. This would not be realistic, it would not be fair, and it would not be beneficial to our relationship with the United States. This is true today as it was yesterday; this is a part of my speech I have not changed. I have always been convinced that a healthy relationship with the Unites States needs a strong Europe of defence. And maybe we are living for the first time in a historic time when this is clear on both side of the Atlantic. And this opens up opportunities for us." (emphasis added)
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