Battlegroups are first step towards a Euro army By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in Brussels European Union defence ministers will today sign off plans for battlegroups of troops poised for instant action, in a significant move towards a European army. The British and the French, the driving forces behind the scheme, will provide the first 1,500-strong battlegroup, or "expeditionary force", starting in January. The unit is to be ready for action anywhere within 15 days of a decision by EU ministers. "These are combat troops in their barracks with their boots on ready to go," a British diplomat said. The move comes...