The EU took a major step towards building closer defence ties on Monday (13 November), with 23 member states signing a landmark agreement, promoted by France and Germany, to fund and boost cooperation following Britain’s decision to leave the bloc.

The Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) could formally be launched during the next meeting of EU leaders in December and the bloc’s foreign and security policy chief Federica Mogherini said after the signing that “the notification letter is open to other member states that might wish to join at a later stage”.

“This is the beginning of our common work, 23 member states engaging is something big, a historic moment in European defence,” the Italian EU official said after signing the letter of intent.

Historic moment for #EU defence: 23 member states signing joint notification on Permanent Structured Cooperation #PESCO, in presence of #EU HRVP @FedericaMog pic.twitter.com/HrTl0jObUI — Maja Kocijančič (@MajaEUspox) November 13, 2017

After years of spending cuts, a lack of a common EU defence strategy and reliance on NATO for all military issues, PESCO could be the bloc’s biggest leap forward in defence policy in decades.

Similar efforts to build up military links have been unsuccessful in the past. Britain, the bloc’s biggest military power, has long sought to thwart EU defence cooperation, opposing anything that might lead to a European army.

But Brexit and Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 have once again shone the spotlight on the need for a strong European security stance.

EU is moving closer together on defence After the Brexit vote and Trumps election in 2016, the defence union came to the fore of the EU integration plans. The past EU summit showed that progress has obviously been made, writes Steffen Stiehle of EURACTIV Germany.

PESCO is part of Franco-German efforts to reboot the EU after Britain’s decision to leave.

It follows the announcement in June of a European Defence Fund and comes on the heels of a roadmap presented on 10 November, which aims to remove barriers for the smooth transport of military troops and gear inside the bloc, putting in place another piece of the common defence puzzle.

The pact’s supporters say it will complement NATO, which will keep its primary role in defending Europe while PESCO should ensure a quicker and more efficient EU response to events like the 2014 Ebola crisis in Africa. Mogherini also said EU and NATO must continue cooperating.

“There are competences and tools that the EU has and NATO doesn’t have. Think of Africa, the security of Africa, EU is more present there than NATO, when it comes to training, when it comes to the delicate link between development and security.”

“We are more equipped to act in areas where it is not a purely military action but we can also develop more our military capabilities,” Mogherini stressed, adding that the problem of Europe’s defence spending was not “how much we spend, it’s that we spend in a fragmented manner”.

“If member states want to spend in a coordinated manner, invest together, this can be done through the EU, through PESCO, supported by the European Defence Fund that we’ve put in place,” she concluded.

EU to sign joint defence pact in show of post-Brexit unity At least 20 members of the European Union will next week sign up to a new defence pact, heavily promoted by France and Germany, to fund and develop joint military hardware in a show of unity following Britain’s decision to quit the bloc.

PESCO also commits countries to “regularly increasing defence budgets in real terms” as well as devoting 20% of defence spending to procurement and 2% on research and technology.

French diplomats said the pact would have several areas where EU governments would agree to work together and pledge funds, including EU military operations, investment and acquiring defence capabilities together as a group.

A German official said the initiative won momentum from French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for a European intervention force in September and US President Donald Trump’s insistence that Europe do more for its security.

PESCO will first focus on projects to develop new military equipment such as tanks or drones, with the aim of harmonising weapons systems, eliminating gaps in capabilities and preventing duplication.

Countries that are not in the EU can also take part in specific missions – which means nuclear power Britain could play a role after it leaves the bloc in 2019 – but they will have no part in decision-making.

EU leaders hail ‘historic step’ in defence cooperation EU leaders hailed as “historic” the decision taken at the Council summit on Thursday (22 June) to establish permanent European defence cooperation. French President Emmanuel Macron, for whom this is the first EU summit, praised Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker for his role as architect of the project.