A joint Franco-Italian mountain brigade for 2015

(BRUSSELS2) Mario Mauro and Jean-Yves Le Drian, the Italian and French Defense Ministers, reiterated on Friday (20 September) in Rome their desire to achieve progress at the next European summit in December, devoted to commitment of a joint Franco-Italian brigade of mountain troops. It will be formed on the basis of the Italian alpine brigade "Taurinense" and the 27th French mountain brigade. It can be used in international missions of the EU, UN or NATO, or in operating theaters of common interest such as the Mediterranean." Full operational capability should be reached in March 2015. Leaders French people had talked about it, especially in 2010 during a Sarkozy-Berlusconi meeting, and the announced date – 2013 – has been exceeded and pushed back two years.