EU members move closer to new defense union

By Serife Cetin

BRUSSELS (AA) - The European Council on Monday adopted the establishment of the Permanent Structured Cooperation, or PESCO --a defense union of the EU, which the bloc members had agreed on earlier this year.

The EU's new defense and security union was welcomed by 25 member states while Denmark, the U.K. and Malta opted out of the agreement, according to a written statement issued by the council.

Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden are among the states participating in PESCO.

The decision follows a joint notification by the member states of their intention to participate in the union, the statement said.

On Nov. 13, ministers from 23 member states signed a joint notification on the PESCO. Ireland and Portugal followed suit on Dec. 7, making the number 25.

The union will be initiated with 17 projects on training, capability development and operational readiness in the field of defense, according to the statement.

"These initial projects are expected to be formally adopted by the Council in early 2018," it added.