Revived 10 Nation European Military Coalition: EU ARMY: New row erupts as over demands for Brussels to ramp up defence spending. THE EU’s new policy chief says it must ramp up its defence capabilities or risk losing its importance on the global stage, stoking fears that he may push for a European army when he takes charge.

By LÉONIE CHAO-FONG. Express.co.uk

PUBLISHED: 12:43, Tue, Nov 12, 2019 | UPDATED: 14:15, Tue, Nov 12, 2019

Charles Michel, who will replace Donald Tusk as the European Council’s president on December 1, says the EU must coordinate foreign policy to avoid becoming “collateral damage” amid rising tensions between China and the United States. The former Belgian prime minister urged the EU to be “more self-confident” and “act boldly” in international affairs. Speaking to the Financial Times, Mr Michel said: “It’s important for us to have our own capacities in order to have more weight. “We will never be aggressive or offensive but we have to be more self-confident.” Mr Michel will be at the centre of EU policy making as he takes over as chair of the national leaders’ summit next month. He said the bloc needed to agree on ambitious reforms to create European diplomacy, common defence and trade policy, and called for a “permanent upgrade” in mutual trust among EU leaders.

The EU should work better to coordinate foreign policy to boost development in Africa, which was “the best way to prevent illegal migration”.

He added: “For me it is crucial for Europe not to be collateral damage of these tensions between China and the United States”.

Last week, incoming European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen set alarm bells ringing after suggesting the EU was ready to ditch “soft power” and flex its “muscles”. In a speech delivered in Berlin, Ms von der Leyen said Brexit had forged a tighter group out of the remaining members of the bloc. She said: “We must go our own European way with confidence. “Soft power alone won’t suffice today if we Europeans want to assert ourselves in the world.“Europe must also learn the language of power.””That means, on the one hand, developing our own muscles – where for a long time we could lean on others, for example in security policy.”

Mr Michel is close ally of French president Emmanuel Macron, who last week warned EU must behave as a global power or “disappear”. During his visit to China, Mr Macron detailed the clear objectives for the EU, while lashing out at its past performance and stressing the need for it to be a global superpower. In a joint press statement with President Xi, he stressed his “desire to build a stronger European sovereignty” where a “united and strong Europe” would stand strong as an “interlocutor in the face of big contemporary issues”. The French President also urged the EU to start thinking of itself more as a “geopolitical power” to ensure it remained “in control” of its destiny.