FILE PHOTO: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte holds a news conference at the European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium October 18, 2018. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday rejected the idea of a European army, as raised in Germany and France.

“The idea of a European Army goes way too far for the Netherlands,” he said after a cabinet meeting. “NATO is and remains the cornerstone of our defense policy.”