Italian FM calls for formation of EU army

The European Union should form its own combined army that could play a role in peacekeeping and preventing conflict, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said, Report informs, citing Reuters.

In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa, Tajani said that closer European cooperation on defense was a priority for the Forza Italia party that he leads.

"If we want to be peacekeepers in the world, we need a European military. And this is a fundamental precondition to be able to have an effective European foreign policy," he said in an interview published on Sunday.