"French army cannot be Europe's army forever," Valls said in Paris at the Jacques Delors Institute, commenting on France's involvement in operations aimed at the provision of security in the Middle East and Africa.
His position was echoed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who said that the European Union cannot rely solely on the French army.
The European Union is now revising its defense strategy, discussing prospects of establishing the bloc's common army. The plan, which goes back to 1950, was revived in March 2015 by Juncker, who said the bloc needed its own unified army to respond to threats posed to EU member states.
France is an active participant of different security operations held in the Middle East, such as participation in the US-led coalition fighting against terrorists in Iraq and Syria or in the northern African region known as the Sahel, such as EU training mission in Mali.
