Details of Brussels power grab buried until day after referendum. Federica Mogherini, head of foreign policy in the EU, has spent 18 months preparing a defence document for discussion by European leaders at a summit on June 28.
Steps towards creating a European army are being kept secret from British voters until the day after next month’s referendum.
The plans, drawn up by the EU’s foreign policy chief, foresee the development of new European military and operational structures, including a headquarters. They are supported by Germany and other countries as the first step towards an EU army.
Similar proposals were vetoed by Britain in 2011, although there are concerns that a loophole could allow nine states to group together and bypass opponents.
To prevent the policy paper leaking and derailing David Cameron’s campaign to keep Britain in the EU, the plans will not be sent to national governments until the day after Brittons vote. Until then the Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy can be read by only a small circle of EU political and security committee ambassadors, who must leave all their electronic devices outside a sealed room. They are allowed to take handwritten notes.
Federica Mogherini, head of foreign policy in the EU, has spent 18 months preparing a defence document for discussion by European leaders at a summit on June 28, the week after the referendum. The Times has seen extracts of the text in notes taken by diplomats. They emphasise that “security and defence is where as step of change is most urgent” in terms of how the EU functions.
The paper warns that “in turbulent times, we need a compass to navigate the waters of a faster-changing world” and urges the EU to create defence structures using mechanisms set out in the 2009 Lisbon treaty. These would be modelled on the EU’s Brussels-based diplomatic service.