The European Union should establish its joint army that can play a peacekeeping role and prevent conflicts, said Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa, Tajani stated that closer European cooperation in defense is a priority for the Forza Italia party, which he leads.

“If we want to be peacemakers in the world, we need a European army. This is a fundamental prerequisite for us to have an effective European foreign policy,” he said in the interview published on January 7.

“In a world with powerful players like the United States, China, India, Russia – with crises from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific – Italian, French, or Slovenian citizens can only withstand something that exists, namely the European Union,” he added.

The issue of European cooperation in defense has been on the political agenda since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago.

However, efforts have primarily focused on expanding NATO, with Finland – an EU member – joining the alliance last year, and Sweden also on the path to joining NATO.

Tajani also said that the 27 EU member states need to improve their leadership and create a single presidency, not like the current structure where the European Council has a president and the European Commission also has a president.

Tajani became the leader of Forza Italia last year after the death of Silvio Berlusconi.

The European Parliament elections in June will be the first measure of the party’s popularity after losing its charismatic leader, Silvio Berlusconi.