EU forces
Wannabe87:
This is indeed a politically loaded question that, for it to succeed, would require many further changes to the EU constitution before it could be considered. I'm sure that the prospect of controlling EU-flagged forces will prompt more than a few Europols to salivate; however, it would come at a heavy price.
Leaving aside the politics (as we can here), there is one example already operating out there of the sort of co-operative multi-national military ventures that you are interested in studying, namely, the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force (NAEW&CF).
This is, in microcosm, a multi-national force that is funded by 15 participating nations. The NAEW&CF, through the E-3A Component, owns & operates its own E-3A aircraft from a NATO base (the base is declared as NATO territory) in Germany. It was set up in the late 70s and there were many, myself included, who raised a cynical eyebrow at the concept. How could a large aircraft be operated by multi-national crews? Many thought it was highly ambitious and a step too far.
Suffice to say it has been a NATO success story IMHO. The program is managed by the NATO AEW&C Program Management Agency (NAPMA) and participating nations share in procurement, development, acquisition & operating costs - and, in turn, receive industrial benefits. This example shows that multi-national forces can and do work.
As defence budgets feel the pinch around the EU & NATO, it could be that financial constraints will force a drive towards the establishment of other such multi-national forces. Developing credible EU forces (without US participation) though would not be a cheap option. Lest we forget, the largest contributor to the NAEW&CF is the US.
It would seem to me, however, that it would be more convenient to develop these forces under the NATO umbrella rather than an EU one, especially considering the member states in one vs the other. But, in the end, I suppose it depends how badly the Europols want their own train set.