Borrell calls for EU rapid reaction force

“Sometimes there are events that catalyze history, that create a breakthrough, and I think that Afghanistan is one of these cases,” Borrell said in Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia ahead of a two-day informal meeting of EU defence ministers.

He called for creating a 5,000-strong rapid reaction force to replace the existing battlegroups, which were established in 2007 but never used.

“The need for more, stronger European defence is more evident that ever,” Borrell said.