European Union leaders have urged member states to increase defence spending for its own sake, not because of pressure from US President Donald Trump or Britain's looming departure from the bloc.
"As far as the Commission is concerned we can open negotiations tomorrow morning at half past nine", Juncker told reporters in Prague, where he was attending a conference on European defense.
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"No-NATO is not an option for the EU".
European Union member states are spending an average of 1.3% of GDP on defence, much less than the United States, Russia and China, Mr Juncker said.
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Many defence projects are done on national level with no coordination, he added.
He said: "The call I make today is not only in favour of a Europe of defence - it is a call in defence of Europe".
With Trump, who has sharply criticised European states for not spending enough on defence and has refused to explicitly support North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the reality was more stark, he said.
Earlier this week, Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec said the government would withdraw from the scheme entirely due to security concerns and what he described as the "dysfunctionality of the whole system".
The post Juncker says Europe can no longer "outsource" protection appeared first on The Independent Uganda:. "We have to stick together", Juncker added.
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