Merkel says EU needs its own joint army

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the European Union should work toward creating its own joint army. She made the statement just after marking the centenary of the end of World War I with world leaders in France. Merkel told EU lawmakers on Tuesday that “we have to work on the vision of one day creating a real European army.” In a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Merkel said that such a force would not mean the end of NATO, the US-led military alliance. She also called for the creation of a European security council.