Adnkronos Rome, March 18 (Adnkronos) – "There is no possibility of a European Union that counts in the world if it is deprived of a European defense. Every political entity must have among its main goals the preservation of itself, its own self-defense. Otherwise it can be an economic or commercial organization or something else, but not a political union". This was stated in an interview with Corriere della Sera by the former president of the European Commission José Manuel Durão Barroso, in Rome for a meeting in memory of Franco Frattini, former vice president of the same commission, adding that he welcomed the resolution of the European Council to move, in matters of defense, from unanimity to qualified majority, with the exception of military operations with an executive mandate.
"All steps to ensure a more effective decision-making process for the EU are good," adds the former Portuguese prime minister. "In this case, however, I do not believe that the majority vote is holding them back: the issue is often used as a pretext by those who claim to want to move forward, but in reality they do not. The treaties already provide for the possibility of 'enhanced cooperation' between some countries, all that is needed is to respect the principles. They are provided for in Article 20 of the Lisbon Treaty and the critical mass needed to proceed is there today."
"Specific agreements such as enhanced cooperation must be reached by at least nine member states and, let's be honest, on many questions we cannot aspire to unanimity," explains Barroso. "At the moment, there are nine. And there is also enough critical mass to support Ukraine." As for the Rearm Europe program for European defense approved by the Council and essentially by the Parliament, he continues, "those who are ready should go ahead. France, Germany and others are. At the same time, they must remain open, as the treaties provide, to additional countries that could join. It is a variable geometry that can be extended to non-EU states, as Great Britain is now. I think this institutional debate is often an excuse, because when we really want to do things, we are capable of doing them. It is important to overcome fragmentation in the defense industry. If each country invests in its own defense, we will not increase European defense."