France To Submit Defense Ideas at Dec. EU Summit

France will submit a number of proposals to a December summit of the 27-nation European Union aimed at strengthening military capabilities, French Defense Minister Hervé Morin said Sept. 8 at a high-level annual conference organized by Guy Teissier, chairman of the National Assembly defense committee.

President Nicolas Sarkozy held an emergency EU summit Sept. 1 to draw up a common position toward Russia, following the crisis over Georgia. The meeting of government heads highlighted Europe's difficulties in finding a response to armed conflict on its doorstep.

Most of the French proposals have been trialed, such as creation of a pool of A400M transport aircraft and a common evolution in the development of the planes, constitution of a multinational naval escort for aircraft carriers operated by the four EU countries that own such capital ships, and a staff college for officer training.

Read more