Poland to join Eurocorps

Poland has announced its intention to join Eurocorps, the combined EU-NATO military force. The move is intended to help boost the European Union's military capabilities.

"After consultations with the president and prime minister, we have decided to join Eurocorps," Defence Minister Bogdan Klich told reporters.

Poland will contribute a full brigade and a number of officers, amounting to around 3,000 soldiers in total. They will join around 60,000 soldiers from Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain, of whom around 1,000 are stationed in Strasbourg, France. The rest are based in their home countries.

Eurocorps troops are currently deployed in Afghanistan under the auspices of the International Security Assistance Force VI, a UN-mandated operation whose primary role is to provide a secure environment in and around the Afghan city of Kabul.

The technical details of Poland's Eurocorps membership have not yet been hammered out and the declaration of its intention to join is largely a political maneuver. Nevertheless, the agreement of the president and prime minister on any topic is unusual and, in this case, is seen as indicative of Poland's commitment to European matters.

"Europe is becoming the second - alongside NATO - pillar of our national security," Defence Minister Klich told Rzeczpospolita daily.