EU officials say 'two-speed defence' now a real prospect

摘要

Once politically taboo, the concept of a 'two-speed' Europe in defence where a core of countries shifts ahead of the others into so-called permanent structured co-operation (PESCO) is now a real prospect for the EU's future. Meeting in Brussels on 6 March, EU foreign and defence ministers formally acknowledged PESCO's potential to develop defence capabilities and called on the European Commission and European Defence Agency to map the 'common commitments, goals, and criteria' for invoking PESCO and the projects that countries could pursue.