Paris: The President of France on Tuesday proposed the creation of a European force to be used for military interventions which would be ready to act by the start of next decade.
In a speech in which he outlined his vision for the European Union, Emmanuel Macron said that this would help form the base for close defense and security cooperation among the bloc's member states.
"By the start of the next decade, Europe must be provided with a common intervention force, a common defense project and a common doctrine with which to act," Efe quoted Macron as saying.
In the face of the international terror threat, Macron insisted that the EU needed an intelligence academy, a counter-terror prosecutor's office and a common defense fund.
He also championed the formation of a European civil protection force that would be activated for natural disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes or earthquakes.
"I want that a European office for asylum requests be created to accelerate and harmonize proceedings," he said, adding that a European border police force should be progressively set in place alongside a vast programme to aid refugees' integration.