Almost half of Dutch citizens support the creation of a common European army amid doubts about whether the U.S. will continue to defend its NATO European allies.
These findings come from an Ipsos poll conducted for the NOS broadcaster.
The survey revealed that only three in ten Dutch people expect the U.S. to continue defending European NATO partners when necessary.
As a potential response to changes in the U.S. position on the global stage, an increasing number of Dutch citizens would like to see the creation of a European army. In December, 42% supported this idea, and now nearly half of Dutch people back it. Only 17% oppose the creation of such an army. Currently, each EU country has its own army.
“Many people believe that Europe should take care of its own defense. You hear this from the winner of the election in Germany, Merz, who is likely to become the next chancellor, and other European leaders,” says Dick Zandee, a defense expert at the Clingendael Institute.
However, he believes that a literal European army is not a realistic scenario: “It is completely unfeasible. You would get stuck with different languages, security interests, and governments. We really need to move towards greater European cooperation in defense.”
At the same time, only a small portion of respondents are willing to join the army when needed for their own security: 18% are ready and able to serve if the Netherlands is attacked. This is more than in the case of an attack on another EU country, where only 9% are willing and able to do so.
