Europe 'must be more responsible' for its own security: Czech Republic
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Europe is determined to weaken security collaboration with the US while seeking to sever Washington’s aid to Ukraine with respect to JD Vance’s nomination as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's vice-president
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The Czech Republic's Prime Minister Petr Fiala pauses before speaking as he addresses a media conference at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, July 19, 2022. (AP)
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said that Europe must be more responsible for its own security rather than depending on the United States.
"I am sure, as a political scientist and also as a politician, that Europe must be more responsible for its own security ... It’s not possible and also it’s not OK if we in Europe always hope or believe that our security is guaranteed by the United States," Fiala told The Guardian on Wednesday, adding, "We must be more responsible, we must care more about our defense, we must increase our defence expenditure."
The prime minister also highlighted that the future presidency of the United States is unimportant to European matters since “the United States has different, other interests in the world."
According to the Financial Times, Europe is concerned regarding weakening security collaboration with the US, while seeking to sever Washington’s aid to Ukraine with respect to JD Vance’s nomination as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's vice-president, should the former president re-assume office in the upcoming November elections.
A 'fragmented' Europe
Fiala is not the only European leader to raise concerns regarding the continent's defense and security affairs. Over the years, several politicians have urged for independence from the United States, stressing the need to establish a united European military alliance.
European Council President Charles Michel said on May 14 that the European Union is now "too fragmented" to establish an industrial base capable of supporting its military and security goals.
During the Copenhagen Democracy Summit Michel expressed that there is consensus among EU leadership that there needs to be more invested in defense and security, however, "there is another aspect that we will need to improve: the European industrial base."
He referred to the military and security sector as one of the three "fundamental priorities" of the European Union, alongside democratic ideals and economic progress, but acknowledged that there are still issues to be solved.
In late April, French President Emmanuel Macron cautioned that Europe is facing an existential threat and urged the EU to develop a "credible" security plan that was less reliant on the United States.
He claimed Europe was being "encircled" by other regional powers, while the continent was "too slow and not ambitious enough."
Macron called for a "powerful Europe" that "is respected," "ensures its security," and reclaims "its strategic autonomy."
Similarly, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in January that the European Union should create its own joint army to aid in peacekeeping and conflict prevention.
Tajani told the Italian newspaper La Stampa that better European defense cooperation was a top objective for his Forza Italia party, explaining that to have an effective European foreign policy and to be "peacekeepers in the world, we need a European military."
"In a world with powerful players like the United States, China, India, Russia - with crises from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific - Italian, German, French or Slovenian citizens can only be protected by something that already exists, namely the European Union," he said.
