STRASBOURG, France, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- In a message of reassurance on concerns about increased defense initiatives in the European Union(EU), European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker declared Wednesday in his State of the Union Address in Strasbourg that he did not plan to "militarize" the bloc.
"We will not militarize the European Union," Juncker said at the European Parliament, adding that "What we want" is to become more autonomous and "live up to our global responsibilities".
Concerns have mounted about the role of defense in the future of the EU after the European Commission announced its proposed long-term EU budget for 2021-2027, which includes a 13 billion euros European Defence Fund. This followed a series of 17 joint defense initiatives that were agreed upon in December 2017 as part of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), signed by 25 EU member states to increase defense cooperation.
There is also concern among some observers that common European defense initiatives could overlap or supplant NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), which has traditionally coordinated defense for Western and Central Europe.
Juncker stressed to the members of European Parliament, meeting for a plenary session in Strasbourg, that the world needed a "strong and united Europe" for the protection of European citizens against internal and external threats, but also to champion global multilateralism.
"And this is why I will continue to work day and night over the next months to see the European Defence Fund and Permanent Structured Cooperation in Defence become fully operational," Juncker promised.
The European Commission President tied European unity to a tense and changing geopolitical climate, with concerns over global trade, terrorism, and climate change.
"The geopolitical situation makes this Europe's hour: the time for European sovereignty has come," Juncker declared, calling for Europe to take its destiny into its own hands.
