Mr. Zeman also said the existence of a pan-European army would rule out a situation where crises flaring up in Europe are “put out exclusively by the United States,” Radio Prague reported on Tuesday.
The idea of a united European army is not new.
The President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker earlier called for the establishment of an EU army, in part to boost the Union’s international standing.
Speaking to the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, Juncker said that the EU is not taken entirely seriously in international affairs and that the creation of an EU army would support a common foreign and security policy.
Juncker stressed that NATO would not be undermined by the creation of such an army.
Although EU member states have upped their defense co-operation on a Union or bilateral level in recent years, defense policy remains a national preserve.
