Nine EU states to launch joint military force as Paris pushes for post-Brexit crisis defence group

Britain is to team up with France, Germany and other willing nations to launch a military crisis force operating outside the framework of the European Union after Brexit.

In all nine nations, including Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia, Spain and Portugal, are due to sign a letter of intent in Luxembourg on Monday to take part in the so-called European Intervention Initiative (EII) -  a coalition of willing states prepared to react to crises near Europe's borders without help from NATO or the United States.

Speaking to Le Figaro newspaper on Sunday, Florence Parly, France's defence minister,  said: "European defence needs a common strategic culture."

The initiative involves "joint planning work on crisis scenarios that could potentially threaten European security", a defence ministry source told AFP, including natural disasters, intervention in a crisis or evacuation of nationals.

The idea for EII was first mooted by French president Emmanuel Macron in a speech at the Sorbonne last September.

There was initial scepticism that the initiative would fly because the European Union had also agreed a landmark defence pact last December that aims to join efforts on forces and weapons.

EU defence ministers are due on Monday to agree on the rules of that pact, known as Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). The pact will have the backing of a new multi-billion euro defence fund from 2021, and it appears unlikely it will include Britain.

However, Ms Parly admitted that this was still in "embryonic" form.

"The time frames and decisions within the EU framework are still much to long when it comes to an emergency, which can arise from a critical situation in a country where Europeans feel there is a serious security issue," she told Le Figaro.

"This is clearly an initiative that allows the association of some non-EU states," she said.

"The UK has been very keen because it wants to maintain cooperation with Europe beyond bilateral ties."

Earl Howe, Britain's junior defence minister, said last month: “It will help to achieve what we are looking for, which is a deep and special partnership with our European colleagues in defence and security”.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel has welcomed the opportunity to involve Britain in the force. But she also stressed that the the EU’s existing defence pact and any “common military strategy” are “closely related”, which will stoke Brexiteer fears that the force could involve Britain in a European army by the back door.

Mr Macron is thought to be keen to involve Britain in future European defence cooperation as one of the continent’s most effective militaries.

But he is also pushing for the force in part because of frustrations with the slow pace of EU defence integration.

The EU has created four multinational military "battlegroups" since 2007, but troops have never been deployed.

Italy had initially expressed interest in the initiative. The new government in Rome "is considering the possibility of joining" but has not made a final decision, said Ms Parly.

Despite Brexit, the UK is keen on securing a security treaty with the EU by 2019 that would continue to grant it access to continental databases, weapons contracts and intelligence sharing. Many EU countries support the idea.