NAPLES, Italy, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Plans by the European Union's "big three" to give the EU a military planning arm -- independent of NATO -- won backing Saturday from the rest of the bloc.
Britain, France and Germany on Friday unveiled what French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin called "the basis for a proposal" by the trio for a plan to boost the EU's military capabilities, European Business reported Saturday.
Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, whose country was at the forefront of more controversial plans for a full-fledged EU military headquarters, said the proposal had won general backing during the meeting in Naples, Italy, of the EU's 15 members and 10 prospective members.
"We can say that the embryo of a European defence is underway and that it's an irreversible process," he said.
British diplomats noted two qualifications to the plan: any EU defense force would have to be compatible with NATO and any agreement would have to leave Britain free to control its own defense policy.
The United States has issued no formal response to the plan.
