Merkel: German Military Unlikely to Become Part of European Force

"Our armed forces are controlled by the parliament"

From Spiegel:  Excerpt from interview of German Chancellor Angela Merkel by Spiegel.

SPIEGEL: Will the Bundeswehr become part of a European armed force one day?

Merkel: Our armed forces are controlled by the parliament. The parliamentary restriction lends stability to our decisions, but it also requires different decision-making processes than in other European countries.

SPIEGEL: So a joint armed force is unlikely?

Merkel: That’s right, because completely different issues will be at stake in the foreseeable future. Partly because of limited financial means, we will have to cooperate a lot more militarily. We have to dovetail NATO and the European security and defense policy more effectively and achieve a true division of labor on issues of defense, but that too will not be easy, because, of course, the defense industries in the individual countries are competitors.  (photo: Getty)

European Union International Organizations Politics & Diplomacy

Image: getty%206%203%2013%20Merkel.jpg