President Chirac recently declared that defense and security issues, including the creation of an all-European rapid reaction force, are among his top goals for the French EU presidency. But the French public generally does not support a European force independent of NATO, and is reluctant to allocate more state spending to pay for an independent force.
United States. Department of State. Office of Research. French Public Says European Defense Force Should Exist Within NATO. By Janice Bell. Washington, D.C.: June 14, 2000. (Opinion Analysis M-80-00).