General Angioni: “European army? It’s a kind of wish but I can’t”

“A European army? It is an aspiration that has always existed, a kind of wish but I cannot ”. General Franco Angioni, already at the helm, from 1986 to 1989, of the mobile force of the allied Command in Europe, says this to Adnkronos, speaking of the hypothesis of setting up a common military contingent within the EU, a topic to which we returned to speak because of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. “This is a difficult claim to fulfill because every EU state still thinks in nationalistic terms. Yet a European alliance would be needed – he adds – because Europe is no longer a dream and instead exists, not only geographically, but also from a political point of view. And a common vision, both political and military, is needed ”. “I had the honor and privilege of commanding the army of the European Alliance for three years – says the general – An international contingent that moved from the North Cape to the south of Turkey and in which already in the 80s there was a widespread European spirit, both among citizens in the places that hosted us and among soldiers of different nationalities. Of course, there were national cultural differences, but the European spirit united them ”. Returning to the war, in the absence of a true European army, the thing that remains to be done “is to be in solidarity with Ukraine, because we cannot help but help those in difficulty. But Ukraine still cannot enter the EU, not yet, even if it has a very high number of citizens who have been to Europe and who feel European. Europe has adopted this country, but for now it must only limit itself to helping it. Clarifying this – concludes Angioni – could help avoid a possible widening of the conflict ”. (by Cristiano Camera)