(VOVWORLD) - Nine European Union states agreed to form a joint military intervention force at a meeting of Defense Ministers in Luxembourg on Monday.
The force will respond to natural disasters, perform crisis intervention, and evacuate people from war zones around the world. Spearheaded by the French president, the initiative was embraced by the Defense Ministers of France, Germany, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia, Spain, and Portugal. Italy has neither voiced its support nor ruled out its future involvement.
The European Intervention Initiative is outside the EU’s structure, so it will permit full UK involvement after Brexit.