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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday rejected a suggestion by Manfred Weber, leader of the center-right European People's Party, that a joint European army could play a role in keeping the peace after the war in Ukraine.
Weber has made a number of impressive proposals in recent weeks to project greater EU power on the international stage. In addition to soldiers operating under a “European flag” in Ukraine, he has called for a single European leader, merging the posts of president of the European Council and president of the European Commission.
Speaking at an informal EPP summit in Zagreb, Croatia, Merz welcomed Weber's efforts to reorganize the EU, but said these ideas do not represent immediate solutions to Europe's problems.
"We need to focus on the tasks we have now," Merz replied, when asked about Weber's initiatives.
The Chancellor added that he had no problem with "us constantly asking institutional questions" to make Europe stronger and more united, and stressed that "these are issues that need to be discussed again and again."
However, Merz showed little desire to delve into the sweeping European reforms that Weber's proposals might require. "Achieving treaty changes in this 27-member European Union is a very difficult task," the chancellor said.
He said these were improving the continent's declining defense capabilities and industrial competitiveness.
While Merz was cool to Weber's proposals for a European army, his government has yet to decide on its commitment to German peacekeepers in Ukraine. While Berlin is not as open as Britain and France in raising the possibility of sending peacekeepers, Merz has insisted: "We are not ruling anything out in principle."
Germany also emphasizes that it is already acting as a regional security guarantor on the Russian border, with nearly 5,000 troops stationed in Lithuania and through air policing missions across Eastern Europe.
When asked about Merz's skepticism about his proposals, Weber said: "We are in dialogue. We are in discussion."
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