EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius is pushing for the transformation of the E5 group into an "informal Security Council" to kickstart the creation of a new European Defense Union designed to integrate Ukraine into the European security architecture. This was reported by Euractiv, according to UNN.
The Commissioner's plan, unveiled Tuesday during a conference at the Martens Centre, envisions the European Group of Five—the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland—taking a leading role in developing the concept for a new European Defense Union,
It is noted that the Commissioner's proposal intentionally goes beyond the EU framework, as Kubilius argues that current treaties were not designed for the territorial defense of Europe and cannot easily accommodate close partners such as the United Kingdom, Norway, or Ukraine.
According to him, an intergovernmental structure would allow interested countries to move faster without waiting for treaty changes or unanimous agreement among all 27 member states. Kubilius envisions a threshold for launching the project, noting that "about 15 countries are enough to launch the initiative."
Ukraine plays a central role in this plan,
Kubilius called its armed forces the "strongest army in Europe" and noted that its combat experience and innovative defense industry should be integrated into Europe's defense potential now, rather than after years of negotiations regarding NATO or EU membership.
Europe needs Ukraine to become much stronger. Not sometime in the future, but right now,
He added that the Ukrainian army and defense industry could play a decisive role in filling gaps in defense capabilities created by the reduction of the US presence on the continent.
Membership would remain open to non-EU partners. In addition to Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Norway, Kubilius suggested that future participants could possibly even include Turkey or Canada.
Europe cannot effectively rearm without Ukraine – Danish Prime Minister09.06.26, 19:04
As a reminder,
EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius proposed concluding a new intergovernmental European treaty to create a defense union and prepare the EU for self-defense amid the shift of US strategic focus to the Indo-Pacific region.