EU logo . File photoBRUSSELS, 21 Mar At a joint meeting in Brussels, EU foreign and defense ministers agreed on the Union's first common defense and security concept «Strategic Compass», which provides for the formation of a European rapid reaction force, consisting of a 5,000-strong corps follows from a document released by the EU Council. Earlier it was reported that during the general meeting of the EU foreign and defense ministers on Monday in Brussels, it is planned to agree on a «Strategic Compass». We are talking about a program that should reflect the goals of the European Union in matters of security and defense, and identify the corresponding threats. This common program is expected to make it possible to better respond to external crises, protect the EU and its citizens, and make more effective use of available defense capabilities. The final approval of the strategy is expected at a meeting of EU leaders on March 24-25. The document says, in particular, that «the EU must act more decisively and quickly in a crisis, strengthen the readiness of the armed forces, civilian experts … And also create a European rapid reaction force of five thousands of troops to respond quickly to various crises».
NATO deploys elements of an alliance response force for the first time
