Translated "Avante!"article by Pedro Guerreiro, Member of the Secretariat of the CC and Responsible of the International Department

The European Union( EU) denominated “permanent structured cooperation”, and previewed for December 11th, is a considerable qualitative leap, concerning the deepening of the EU militarization –a process that has been pursued, within the NATO framework and expresses the latent rivalry/ political cooperation among the USA and the EU great powers.

The EU militarization, an intension, pointed out in the Maastricht Treaty, in 1992, and pressed forward upon the Franco-British Summit, which took place in Saint Malo, in 1998, and the NATO aggression against Yugoslavia, in 1999, has always been anchored by this political-military block, under the USA. One ought to also recall the NATO summit, in Washington, in 1999, that stated the European Union as its “European pillar”, having each EU enlargement been preceded by NATO’s enlargement (currently, the 28 EU countries are NATO members, this block holding 29 countries).

Mentioning this new step, concerning the EU militarization decided under the continuous USA demand, that European NATO members ought to increase considerably their military budgets and assume /adopt a larger quota-part in its war policy. The NATO Secretary- General statements are well eloquent on this issue. For Jens Stoltenberg the so-called military “permanent structured cooperation” within the EU, ought to be complementary to NATO, therefore having to ensure the military budgets increase, added by military capabilities and a greater expenditure repartition, amid NATO, through its “European Pillar” reinforcement – however, warning that any “duplication” or “competition” between the EU and NATO, relating to the military domain, ought to be avoided.

This diligent signal reveals a non-careless concern. If the capitalism structural crisis originated contradictions exacerbation – proved by the dispute among monopolist groups, at all economy levels – involving the most important imperialist powers (such as the USA and Germany), the international situation evolution has proved that the latter articulate on what regards the imposition of their exploitation and national oppression policies. Nevertheless, the contradictions carry on and express the crisis deepening, at all levels.

As an example, if the USA consider NATO an essential instrument for its power, over a great part of Europe and its permanent siege, tension and threat on the Russian Federation, an instrument they desire to be complemented by what Hillary Clinton declared, in a moment of sincerity, designated as “ an economic NATO”, a transatlantic treaty (the TIIP) dictated under the USA hegemonic domain ambition, at the same time Germany uses the European Union (and the Euro) as a domain instrument that ought to be complemented by militarization increase, in an European capitalist integration process, as long as figured out and concretized following its interests. Before this contradictory panorama, in which the political cooperation among imperialist great powers has prevailed – the USA, EU and Japan – concerning the militarist and aggressive drift, carry on a permanent state of war against all those that offer resistance or are considered to be an obstacle to the imposing of their supremacy.