PESCO

EU launches 13 new PESCO defense cooperation projects

The European Council formally adopted 13 new collaborative projects under PESCO, the Permanent Structured Cooperation on Defence and Security

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France, Germany and Spain sign next-generation combat jet agreement

France, Germany and Spain unveiled the first concept models for the Future Combat Air System jet, an ambitious project aimed at bringing together EU military forces

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US threatens EU with trade war over weapons

The US has all but threatened the EU with a trade war over plans to boost cooperation between member states on military spending

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‘Means identified’ to create European Union defense directorate with Commissioner

Work is being undertaken within EU institutions to enable the creation of a dedicated defense directorate with a Commissioner, sources told AFP

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France’s Macron proposes NATO-style EU collective defense for ‘strategic autonomy’

French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that Europe adopts a form of collective defense as he again called for tighter EU integration as concerns over US security commitments remain

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NATO summit fails to bring to clarity on defense spending or future membership

The NATO summit ended with a strong joint communique on Russia but no clear vision for the future of defense spending or expanding membership

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Six EU states sign declaration on PESCO cyber rapid response

Six European Union states signed a declaration of intent to create rapid response teams to help countering cyber attacks under the EU PESCO pact

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UK and US companies shut out of €13 billion European Defence Fund

The EU will present its new €13 billion defense fund, but conditions for taking part will shut out "third countries" including post-Brexit UK and the US

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UK ‘very keen to support’ French plan for European military intervention force

The UK is backing a French plan to create a European military intervention force separate to the EU's PESCO pact as a way to maintain strong defense ties with the European Union after Brexit

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US concerns over EU PESCO defense pact cloud NATO talks

Brussels (AFP) – NATO defence ministers met in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss Washington’s concerns over the European Union’s new plans to deepen defense ties between its members, and increasingly strained U.S.-Turkey relations. Washington and Ankara, two of the transatlantic alliance’s most important members, are at loggerheads over Turkey’s military offensive in northern Syria. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday warned it was detracting from the fight against the Islamic State group. The two-day meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels is expected to approve changes to the alliance’s command structure. It aims to meet the challenges of warfare in the 21st century, particularly cyber attacks and other novel “hybrid warfare” tactics, as fears grow about Russian assertiveness. But a working dinner with E.U. diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini later Wednesday has taken on greater significance after senior US officials voiced fears about the impact the bloc’s new landmark defence pact could have on the balance of power in NATO. The E.U.’s so-called permanent structured cooperation on defence agreement, known as PESCO, has projects in view already to develop new military equipment and improve cooperation and decision-making. But on Sunday a senior official working with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis …

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