German Defense Minister convinced for the creation of an European Army.

“I am convinced that a European army or a European defense union can be created as a logical consequence of European integration,” Ms. von der Leyen said during the Brussels Forum, a foreign-policy conference in Brussels.

“Europe will only stay politically relevant in the future if we are able to complement our economic power and our political influence with a truly coherent security and defense policy,” she added.

To critics who say that such a defense initiative would undermine the existing North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Ms. von der Leyen pointed out that the U.S. routinely asks for more responsibility to be taken by their European allies in terms of capabilities and military spending.

“I want to underline that the times have passed in which there was a difference between European and NATO thinking,” Ms. von der Leyen said.