Germany Sees Brexit Opening for EU Defense Union With France
- Merkel defense minister presents security-policy overhaul
- U.K. ‘paralyzed’ joint EU security and defense stance
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The U.K.’s exit will open the door to more military cooperation among the remaining European Union countries, with Germany and France poised to take the lead, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said.
Presenting the German government’s first overhaul of security policy in a decade, von der Leyen said Europe’s biggest economy needs to take on more military leadership on the international stage. That includes moving forward with talks toward a European “defense union,” which the U.K. has blocked, she said.