The head of EU foreign policy Jose Puborel believes that the fall of Kabul to the Taliban and the chaotic international evacuation efforts show that Europe needs to develop its own military capabilities and be independent of the United States.
In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Borrell said that before the United States ends its operations at Kabul Airport, perhaps as early as August 31, European powers will find it difficult to evacuate their citizens and Afghan allies.
As NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed on Friday (August 20), several U.S. allies asked Washington to postpone the evacuation because without the protection of the 6,000 U.S. troops deployed at the airport, Europe’s The action may have to stop.
The shocking downfall of the Western-backed Afghan government, the chaotic scenes at the airport, and the fear that a new generation of Afghan refugees might try to travel to Europe have all made people start talking about Europe’s developing means of acting on its own.
The EU diplomatic mission in Kabul has 400 Afghan staff and family members eligible to emigrate to Europe, but so far only 150 have been able to leave, and some aircraft sent by the EU military are flying in mid-air.
Borrell told AFP that one-third of the passengers on the flights arriving in Spain on Saturday were Americans.
“The problem is to enter the airport-the US inspection and security measures are very strict” and prevent Afghan staff from passing through, Borrell said, adding that Brussels has asked Washington to show “greater flexibility.”
European policymakers worry that Kabul will not be a one-off, and that future crises in Iraq or the Sahel region of West Africa may require similar military operations to protect European citizens and interests—perhaps without the support of the United States.
Strategic autonomy
“I deeply regret the way things are going, but no one seeks the opinions of Europeans,” he said.
“Some countries will have to ask themselves questions about American allies. As Joe Biden said, American allies don’t want to fight other people’s wars for them.
“Europeans have no choice. We must organize to face the real world, not the world we dream of.”
The European Union is already developing what it calls a new “strategic compass”, which is a framework for the 27 member states to act together, exert more diplomatic and military power, and develop more what French President Emmanuel Macron said “Strategic autonomy.”
With the development of the Kabul incident, Charles Michel, President of the European Council who presided over the summit of EU leaders, wrote on Twitter: “The situation in Afghanistan is not a success story for the international community.
“We must analyze how the EU can further deploy capabilities and actively influence international relations to defend its interests. Our EU strategic autonomy remains the top priority of our agenda.”
Situation in #Afghanistan For the international community, this is not a success story.
We must analyze how the EU can further deploy capabilities and actively influence international relations to defend its interests
Our EU strategic autonomy remains the top priority of our agenda. pic.twitter.com/Z3WYptIeOU
-Charles Michel (@eucopresident) August 21, 2021
For Borrell, this must include a deployable joint military response force.
He told Agence France-Presse: “We will propose to provide the coalition with an expeditionary force of 50,000 that can act under the conditions we have seen in Afghanistan.”
“In September I am going to Iraq, Tunisia and Libya. The next crisis will occur in Iraq and the Sahel,” he said.
“Europe will only respond in a crisis. Afghanistan can wake it up. It’s time to give it a military force that can fight when necessary.”
