Merkel calls for EU weapons system independent of US

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on EU countries to share their capabilities in order to build weapons systems independent of the United States.

Speaking to her Christian Democrats party in the northern city of Rostock, Merkel said Europe had many more systems than the US which has threatened to "go its own way" under President Donald Trump. 

Merkel called on EU members to ease up their strict controls on exports and technologies and refrain from competing among themselves for new projects and fighter planes.  

Her remarks were apparently aimed at France which did not go Germany's way last year to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia after the murder of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

With Britain’s pending departure from the EU, there is more momentum for remaining member states to find common ground on defense, although there remain divisions.

"It is good that after several decades we want to develop a common defense policy ... We must develop weapons systems together,” Merkel said on Saturday.

The EU is searching for answers to a US president who views the EU with contempt. 
In November, Merkel echoed a call by French President Emmanuel Macron for an integrated European Union military that infuriated President Trump.

“The times when we could rely on others are over. This means we Europeans have to take our fate fully into our own hands,” Merkel said. “We should work on a vision of one day establishing a real European army.”

Trump then accused Macron of seeking to develop the EU’s own military to defend itself from the United States as he blasted France over its near defeat to Germany in two world wars.

EA