25/06/2018 (Agence Europe) – France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium signed a letter of intent on Monday 25 June in order to launch a European intervention initiative. The aim is for “militarily able and politically willing states to be able to prepare and grow accustomed to working together so that, when necessary, they may intervene when and where they decide to and on extremely varied scenarios”, not simply on a military basis but also civilian, such as the cooperation set in place during Hurricane Irma or in the event of evacuation of European nationals, the French minister for the armed forces, Florence Parly, said. The military staffs of these countries will define a working programme with a number of operational planning exercises and training exercises chosen by them together. (CG)