Oui Monsieur, Sargeant

As the eagerly awaited Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) approaches, one of the hottest political questions is what will happen to the defence budget. Many people have written about the potentially devastating impact of expenditure cuts on the ability of the UK to conduct foreign operations. Others have challenged the Government to review Britain's role in the world and embrace a much more isolationist foreign policy. My proposal is different.

One solution to pressing financial constraints has been closer co-operation between Britain and France in defence policy. I would go further. In my view, the time is nigh for the establishment of a full-scale European Defence Army.

The existence of an economic, monetary and quasi-political union in Europe has removed any real conflict of interest between Member States. The inter-relationship between European countries was exposed in the Greek crisis earlier this year, which saw every other European state take responsibility for the economic bailout of that country. Indeed, the situation in Greece is what prompted this Government to take such drastic action with the budget which has given rise to questions of defence spending. The fact of political life in Europe now is very simple: Member States are inextricably bound to each other in every possible sense.

Cultural diversity within Europe is also of diminishing significance. Every European country must observe the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which guarantees the same protection to people in Latvia as it does to those in Ireland as it does to those in Austria. Europeans share the same views concerning democracy, tolerance and freedom.

In my three-week whistle stop tour of Europe last year, I observed first-hand the similarity of each country in the Union. Nowhere did I really feel like I was in a 'foreign country'. Under the treaty establishing the EU, I have the absolute right to live and work in any other EU nation. While every state has its own peculiarities and history, the basic principles governing each are broadly similar across the entire continent.

In this context, it seems perverse to keep reserving defence policy to each individual Member State. Given that the EU has a collective interest in things like global terrorism, piracy and nuclear proliferation, why is it that individual Member States continue to pursue their own policy? Every challenge the UK faces in the modern age is a challenge faced by the EU. It is absolutely ludicrous to suggest that European countries would again go to war with each other. The economic and cultural values of Member States are now so intertwined that the idea of conflicting national interests is simply irrational.

Moreover, the emergence of countries like China, Brazil and Russia as geo-political powerhouses has increased the need for European economic co-operation. Europe would be so much stronger if we completed the process of political union and created a unified defence force with it. Only then would the UK be in a position to maintain its role as an international influence. The idea that the UK will be able to preserve its seat at the top table long into the future is just naive. We will be simply unable to complete with regional super powers if we go it alone. Anyone that cares about Britain's role in the world must accept that the future has to involve greater European integration.

So when you consider the debate over defence expenditure, bear in mind that there is another option. The only sensible future is a European future.