Ursula von der Leyen: 'We are building a European Defense Union'

The following interview with German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen appeared in Kathimerini Cyprus on March 17.
Germany and France lead the way for the European Defense Fund. Is it spurred by Britain's decision to leave the European Union and the pressure from the United States that led both countries to that direction and what is the end goal? The creation of a European army?
Europeans all know that none of us can cope with the ongoing security challenges around our continent on its own. It is in this spirit that EU member states have started the process of reinvigorating our common security and defence policy - even before the Brexit votum - and in December 2017 we succeeded to create PESCO, the permanent structured cooperation in defense. And we initiated works to create the European Defense Fund. Together with the new Planning Process for Defense...