GETTY EU officials have long-held the ambition to launch a European army

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European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker provoked outrage earlier this year with proposals for a Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).



European People’s Party (EPP) president Joseph Daul has now admitted the European Parliament will try to push through plans that would go far beyond what even Mr Juncker had intended.

Under the latest proposals, a common European-wide army would become a force capable of taking on missions of "higher intensity" and even replace national guards at EU borders.



Bureaucrats in Brussels are trying to capitalise on concerns over “Russian aggression” and the migrant crisis to push through the long-held ambitions for a European army.



Whereas Mr Junker’s original vision was for a force capable of dealing with 'post-conflict peace-keeping', the European Parliament is now preparing to discuss an aggressive common military force.



Mr Daul admitted: "We are going to move towards an EU army much faster than people believe.



"We won’t have an EU army tomorrow, but have to get started.”



The proposals will be discussed at a summit held by the leaders of the European Peoples’ Party (EPP) in Madrid next week.

GETTY Merkel may blackmail Cameron into supporting an EU army if he wants to re-negotiate any EU treaty

The paper released calls for a 'European operational headquarters' to replace the system of national governments directing their own forces.



The draft plan also demands that power over border control, including European coastguard responsibilities, should be handed to the new army.



The EPP’s paper mentions: “In today’s security environment, the CSDP stand as one of the weakest spots of the EU’s project for peace, integration and development.



"Rising threats must now lead to a change in mind-set.



“Moving beyond CSDP’s focus on post-conflict and low-intensity missions to being able to conduct territorial defence and higher intensity.”



“Russian aggression against members of the EU and NATO must be deterred.

GETTY European People’s Party (EPP) president Joseph Daul and Jean-Claude Juncker

"This presupposes, first of all, a NATO which is militarily stronger thanks to more and smarter defence spending but also higher levels of pooling and sharing of military infrastructure, materiel and personnel between member states of the EU and NATO.”



The centre right party holds 217 of the European Parliament’s 751 seats, making it the largest single party in the Parliament, and was home to the Conservative Party delegation until 2010.



With President Juncker and President Donald Tusk also members of the EPP, the party holds the dominant position in European politics.



Attempts to form a common defence force have been part of the European project since it began.



In 1950, French Prime Minister René Pleven proposed ambitious plans for defence integration, including the setting up of European Army and the appointment of a European minister of defence.

REUTERS EU leaders are capitalizing on the migrant crisis to push through European Union powers

In June this year, President Juncker renewed plans for an Eu army by insisting that "it is time for a reckoning".



He said: “EU’s soft power must be matched by collective hard power and a more efficient use of our €210 billion yearly defence spending.



"European defence cooperation remains a patchwork of bilateral and multilateral agreements.



"Traditional methods of cooperation have reached their limits and proved insufficient."