The pan-European political movement Volt Europa has launched a petition demanding the creation of a European Union army, citing growing uncertainty in EU-NATO relations and increasing tensions with the US.
Volt Europa is active in more than 30 countries and “encourages citizens to rethink and shape politics in their cities, in their countries and across borders in Europe”, according to its website.
Five members from the Netherlands and Germany represent the pro-EU Federalist Party in the European Parliament as part of the Greens group.
The group argued on February 25 that the US was no longer a reliable partner and that Europe must take its security into its own hands.
“The US will no longer protect Europe. The Trump administration has made this perfectly clear,” Volt stated on its petition website.
“During the Munich Security Conference, the US destroyed the transatlantic bond which lasted for 80 years,” it added.
Christoph Heusgen, chairman of the Munich Security Conference, has called this year’s edition a “European nightmare” after it became clear the US was pushing for major changes in the transatlantic partnership. https://t.co/83fhBkqTX2
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) February 17, 2025
Volt claimed Washington may pull its troops from Europe entirely, allegedly as part of a US-Russia deal that could leave European nations including Ukraine at Putin’s mercy.
“US troops might even leave the European continent as part of a punitive peace imposed upon Ukrainians and Europeans by Putin and Trump. We have been left on our own,” it warned.
While Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied making such demands, Western officials have said they feared a Trump-led White House could prioritise a swift resolution to the war, potentially at Europe’s expense.
For the pro-federalist Volt, the solution was clear: Europe must stop outsourcing its security to Washington.
“The postwar model of having the US build bases across Europe seems to have come to an end. We have not been able to prevent this unjust, murderous war. Even if admittedly late, we need to act. Now.”
It insisted that an EU army would serve the interests of all Europeans, ensuring independence from US military decisions.
“We must stand with Ukraine and step in where the US is backing out. To do so, we need to be able to operate independently from the US by creating our own capabilities, and at the same time integrating our 27 separate armies to fight as one,” it said.
Volt has put forward nine key demands, including abolishing national vetoes on military decisions, appointing a single EU Minister for Defence and standardising EU military equipment to ensure interoperability across member states.
It concluded by pointing out that the idea of an EU army was once on the table but was abandoned due to US security guarantees.
“In 1950, a European Army was almost created. It didn’t happen precisely because the United States provided a strong alternative through a guarantee that it would defend Europeans from the Soviet Union” it said.
“Now that that guarantee is gone, it is time to go back to the original idea.”
Volt was not alone in calling for a stronger EU defence policy.
Some EU mainstream European politicians have also entertained the idea.
Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union, has signalled that a more independent European security strategy was his “absolute priority,” marking a potential shift in Berlin’s transatlantic stance.
