19 Sep 2012

EU ministers want tighter common policies

10:46 pm on 19 September 2012

A report produced by a group of eleven European Union foreign ministers has called for much closer integration of the EU's foreign and defence policies.

The ministers have drawn up a plan to strengthen the 27-nation bloc and make it a bigger global player.

The group - which includes five of the largest EU countries, but not Britain - calls for majority voting on common foreign policies, as well as a common defence policy, possibly eventually including a European army.