"Europe of the defense possibilities, the old European ambition dating back to the 1950s, is experiencing the revival today, to which I am applauding with my both hands," Juncker said at the seventh Cohesion Forum in Brussels.
At last week’s European Council summit in Brussels, EU leaders agreed to set up the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) in the sphere of defense, and decided to draw up a common list of criteria and commitments under the cooperation within three months.
Apart from this, the European Council agreed to share the responsibility of financing Battlegroups, the bloc's military instrument for rapid response to possible crises, on the basis of the Athena mechanism. Athena was established in 2014, and is part of the EU Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP). The mechanism involves all EU member states excluding Denmark, which does not participate in the CSDP on military matters.
The seventh Cohesion Forum is taking place between Monday and Tuesday. The major annual political event brings together over 700 people, including high-level officials from European institutions, central governments, regional and local representatives, economic and social partners, NGOs and academics.
