{"id":5849,"date":"2022-02-16T07:34:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T07:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facts4eu.com\/?p=5849"},"modified":"2022-02-16T07:34:00","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T07:34:00","slug":"eu-uses-ukraine-crisis-to-hustle-britain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/facts4eu.com\/?p=5849","title":{"rendered":"EU uses Ukraine crisis to hustle Britain"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Offer of chairing new EU Security Council is a trap to entangle UK<\/h2>\n

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Montage \u00a9 Facts4EU.Org 2022<\/p>\n

Having failed over its Russia-Ukraine foreign policy the EU tries to suck Brexit Britain back into common defence<\/h3>\n

Some European Union leaders are making it known through briefings to the British media that they wish the UK to chair a new EU-led security council in the belief that this will lower tensions between the EU and its former member.<\/p>\n

Called a \u201cEuropean Security Council\u201d, the plans are reportedly being pulled together by Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland with the temptation of the UK being given a prime role.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile the \u2018EU Army\u2019 grows ever closer<\/h3>\n

Meanwhile in Brussels yesterday the talk was all about common defence. In a 22-page document the Commission unveiled significant actions to contribute to EU defence, boost innovation and address strategic dependencies.<\/p>\n

This new document comes just weeks before an EU defence summit which will be hosted in Paris by President Macron. The summit is expected to agree the EU Commission\u2019s \u201cStrategic Compass\u201d on defence \u2013 a set of proposed policies published last year.<\/p>\n

Regular readers will know that Facts4EU.Org has researched and published more reports on the EU’s military ambitions than any other pro-Brexit organisation, and so the latest EU moves will come as no surprise.<\/p>\n

Some EU leaders now want to cosy up to Boris<\/h3>\n

The sweet mood music being played by the EU is that years of bitterness following Brexit can be put behind \u201cus\u201d so that security and global co-operation can ensure that \u201cEurope is better positioned\u201d to handle world crises like the pandemic and the threats posed to Ukraine. This is accompanied by flattery about how well the UK has handled the Ukraine crisis and has sought to work flexibly with European allies.<\/p>\n

Emmanuel Macron is not one of them<\/h3>\n
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It is also being briefed that French President Emmanuel Macron is opposed to the plan to have such a security council and that not all EU members will be invited to attend, with only those meeting \u201cstrict criteria\u201d such as having a high level of defence spending being considered suitable. Norway and western Balkan states are said to be amongst those non-EU countries that will be included in the plans.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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No doubt these factors are meant to reassure and impress UK politicians, not least because the siren approaches are being made through the media for all to see.<\/p>\n

It is also reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is \u201cgenerally very keen\u201d on more bilateral relationships with European countries outside the EU\u2019s institutions and that this security council provides a stage on which to take part. On closer inspection the offer is only to chair the first meeting of the \u2018security council\u2019 as it will be a rotating Presidency.<\/p>\n

If the report about Macron\u2019s opposition to the security council is accurate and not a bluff (would it not be seen as an insult that he would not be chairing the Council?) then it only serves to illustrate the division within the EU on its security and foreign policy \u2013 and the Ukraine issue has shown the division is deep and rankerous.<\/p>\n

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Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary<\/h3>\n

So, what happened to the argument that diplomatically the UK
would be ignored and unimportant if we left the EU?<\/p>\n