Speaking at the 'Black Blade' military helicopter and special-forces exercise held in November in Belgium, the European Union's foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini said when it comes to defence "we can and have to do more."
For the Italian official, security and defence "is now an issue that is becoming more important for European citizens."
To achieve closer cooperation, Mogherini believes Europe's armed forces need more "interoperability", by taking part in more joint military training exercises.
To send a strong signal of her support, she attended the European Defence Agency (EDA) organised training exercise, hosted by the Belgian Armed Forces, where she saw various helicopter and special-forces displays.
Fourteen helicopters and planes from Belgium, Slovenia, Austria and the UK, along with 400 support personnel were involved over a three week period during November.
Also participating were 70 Belgium special-forces soldiers, and helicopter instructors from Sweden and Germany.
Black Blade was part of a series of EDA organised helicopter exercises that had taken place across Europe.
According to the EDA, helicopters have always been a crucial asset for European forces and remain a 'key enabler in modern crisis management operations.'
Though member states have significant numbers of rotary wing aircraft, it has been found that in numerous military and humanitarian crisis helicopters have been under used.
The 'non-employability' of helicopters is an issue that the EDA wants to address by working with member states. The agency identified several contributing factors from a lack of training for the crews to a shortage of technical equipment for the aircraft.
With the Black Blade helicopter training exercise coming at moment when European defence is high on the political agenda.
EDA chief executive Jorge Domecq said "Exercise Black Blade is European defence cooperation in action. It represents a dynamic and tangible example of what cooperation among the member states can achieve."
He further added "it also highlights the importance of joint training as a prerequisite to enhance interoperability and a key enabler to ensure readiness to deploy. A positive step forward for European defence."
However, despite the military 'pillar' of the EU being established in 2009 when the Lisbon treaty was signed, member states have shown little political and military support compared to the backing given to the US-led Nato.
Mogherini admitted that, "though the Lisbon treaty gave us the instruments" to enhance European security "we have not used them all."
Asked if she was now confident member states will take European security cooperation more seriously, Mogherini responded, "I am very confident that they are fully behind what we are doing to strengthen European defence."
She highlighted that in mid-November, the Council backed her proposals for an 'implementation plan on security and defence'.
The Italian also dismissed any link between the EU's push for closer military cooperation, and the Brexit result and the Donald Trump victory in the US.
Mogherini said, "This work on European defence started before the US elections and Brexit, almost one year ago. We recognised the need for Europe to be a reliable and credible security provider not only for Europeans, but also our neighbouring region and across the world. So it's not connected."
Nevertheless, she did admit both political events were a wakeup call. "For sure Europeans realise more and more every day that we need to count on European defence and security capacities."
Mogherini was keen to stress that closer defence cooperation was not "in any form of competition or degradation, neither with our American friends, nor in the context of Nato, and with the UK."
In fact, she was confident that, "once the UK has left, EU defence will be one field of continued cooperation."
Despite the strong political impetus from the EU to build up Europe's military capability, Mogherini stressed this was not the beginning of the "militarisation" of the continent.
She added, "There is always a European way of dealing with defence and security, and we will obviously make sure that all that we do, is at the service of peace and conflict prevention."