A common defense initiative should come next.
It exists, it's called NATO and few of the EU countries spend the money on defense needed for its upkeep.
That's why a European defense initiative is a pipe dream. They can hardly keep it up with America footing more than half the bill and they couldn't get it done when Cameron was on board.
Countries like Germany and the Netherlands practically have all sorts of shortages in vehicles, planes and men. Our allies refer to the Dutch army as the 'beggars army'.
Von der Leyen is mostly known for neglecting and mismanaging Germany's armed forces when she was defense minister and she now leads the EU commission.
The only EU country spending generously on defense is Poland because they don't want to get sandwiched ever again.
For the others it's a very low priority. I imagine the French will hang Macron from the Eiffel tower if he cuts all their pensions so they can buy tanks to fight a Russian invasion that will never happen.
You will get your EU green deal, more women in the workplace quota's and additional refugee centers among the outer borders.
Because that's the platform these people have invested their political capital in. The EU has made itself mostly irrelevant when it comes to geopolitics and defense.
The right wing parties focus on new toys (F35's, aircraft carriers, missile systems). While the left wing party prefer pacifism. The Christians have always been in the middle of that divide.
The Netherlands already has a common defense with Germany. We've sold all the Leopards and rent our tanks from the Germans for exercises.
Sad day for the UK, good day for the EU, which now has a chance to grow stronger.
It's a good day for both. The UK can finally stop moaning that everything is unfair to them and completely deregulate their banking sector like they always wanted.
The EU can move on as well. This divorce could've been settled right after the Brexit vote but the remain camp were just sore losers.
