February 8, 2010: German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle said his government favors the creation of an EU army to enhance the European Union's role as a major force on the world scene. Westerwelle's call for a European army as a long-term goal came at the annual Munich conference on security where high-level discussions on security and defense take place. According to Westerwelle, the provisions of the EU's Lisbon Treaty allowing the creation of an EU military force are "not the end but, rather, the beginning for common [EU] security and defence policy."

The EU Lisbon treaty and the earler Maastricht treaty provide the framework for EU member states with the desire and political will to move in this direction the proceed forward on developing a joint military force. Westerwelle sees this future military force as being subject to "full parliamentary control," which in Germany's case would be necessary anyway since the German parliament, the Bundestag, currently has to approve any deployment of German military forces outside German territory. Westerwelle believes that the development of common security and defense capabilities will become the "motor for greater European integration."

The idea of an EU defense force is not new. Politicians in France, Poland and the UK and Poland have also voiced support in recent years. However, financial restaints, fear of overlap or even competition with Nato and just plain lack of will have all contributed to the lack of movement on the issue. In his Munich speech Westerwelle preempted criticism of competition with Nato: "This [proposal] is not intended to replace other security structures. More Europe is not a strategy directed against anyone. No one has any reason to fear Europe, but everyone should be able to depend on Europe."

Russian foreign minister appeared to support Westerwelle by repeating his country's desire to see a new security structure implemented in Europe. In a new unified military structure for Europe "no country would provide its [own national] security at the expense of another country," he added, emphasizing that with the demise of the Soviet Union, Europe missed a chance to expand the function of the neutral OSCE ("Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe"). Instead, the Nato alliance decided to expand eastward, preventing Europe from ridding itself of the "power bloc" mentality of the Cold War era.

The Danish response to Westerwelle's proposal was immediate and decisive. Just hours after Westerwelle's speech, Danish foreign minister Søren Gade announced in Copenhagen: "The right to decide when, how and how many soldiers will be used for military operations must remain with national parliaments." Gade even wondered whether Westerwelle's remarks were not based on some misunderstanding. Denmark has not participated in EU discussions on joint security and military cooperation since 1993.