France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg met in Brussels Tuesday to discuss setting up a European Defence and Security Union, independent of NATO.

While stressing the importance of existing links between the United States and the European Union, the experts Thursday called for a "renewed transatlantic relationship."

US Secretary of State Colin Powell Tuesday was critical of the mini-summit, and his views were echoed by figures from both the Republican and Democratic camps.

Powell Tuesday told the US Senate it was necessary to reinforce existing defence structures rather than establish "more headquarters."

He also pointed out the proposal was not supported by the United Kingdom or EU member states other than the four proponents.

Supreme Allied Commander in Europe Jim Jones took a diplomatic line, saying of the summit: "I am not particularly alarmed by the fact that Europeans want to talk about their own security."

But he added, "I do think that the best hope for a strong European security in the future is a strong NATO."

Meanwhile, former Clinton-era State Department official Ron Amsus said he did not think the move "helpful."

"I don't believe this will lead to any increase in European defence capabilities... it will lead to a harmful increase in structures, and to more distance between the EU and US," he said.

Asmus, now a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, voiced concern about "a kind of unholy alliance between unilateralists on both sides of the Atlantic."

"Our unilateralists will say this is further proof that Europe doesn't really want to work with us ... (whereas) on the European side, particularly in France, people will say: 'Look, this shows Americans are utterly unreasonable, and won't even allow us to do things like this'," he said.

From the opposite end of the US political spectrum, Helle Dale from the right-wing Heritage Foundation called the European proposal "a bad idea."

She also pointed out the logistical and financial difficulties such a new defence bloc would face.

"Britain has no intention of divorcing itself from the US, in military terms," she said. "Germany does not want to put more money into investing in defence systems. In order for this to become a freely independent operating force it would take a gigantic investment."

Practicalities notwithstanding, Dale said the very notion of a non-NATO European defence body would cause tensions in the EU's relations with the US.

"I can't imagine it would represent a threat to the United States... but it would perhaps undermine the cohesion of the Alliance and I think this would be detrimental to all of us," she said.

SPACE.WIRE