{"id":21970,"date":"2018-10-05T20:21:54","date_gmt":"2018-10-05T20:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/10\/05\/uk-german-defense-chiefs-push-for-eu-level-ties-even-after-brexit\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:57:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:57:25","slug":"uk-german-defense-chiefs-push-for-eu-level-ties-even-after-brexit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2018\/10\/05\/uk-german-defense-chiefs-push-for-eu-level-ties-even-after-brexit\/","title":{"rendered":"UK, German defense chiefs push for EU-level ties even after Brexit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

COLOGNE, Germany \u2014 Britain should be allowed easy access to European Union defense funds even as a nonmember, according to German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is very important that within PESCO, third-party states who we want to keep at our side have the ability to participate in projects in an uncomplicated way,\u201d von der Leyen said Friday near the town of Minden, as she hosted her U.K. counterpart Gavin Williamson for his inaugural visit to Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participating in EU military missions \u201ccertainly also\u201d should remain a possibility for countries outside the union, she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PESCO refers to the European Union’s mechanism for a permanent structured cooperation on defense. The initiative has its own funding stream meant to develop military capabilities as a collective. It constitutes the cornerstone of what leaders here have praised as the continent’s emerging voice in military matters against a resurgent Russia to the east.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European leaders next month are expected to hammer out a path allowing third-party states to engage with the EU through the PESCO framework. The decision will be closely watched, as it offers a glimpse of how the entire defense dimension with a critical ally will fare after Brexit, scheduled to occur on March 29, 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\t