3. Is surprised that, at a time when budgets are tight and when military expenditure has until recently declined sharply in contrast with other regions of the world, the Member States do not see the urgent need to achieve economies of scale by means of ‘permanent structural cooperation’, in other words the pooling of military resources by those countries that are willing and able to do this (Article 46 TEU); Welcomes the existence of EU battlegroups, but deplores the failure to make use of them owing to a structure which is so complex that it does not work and to a funding method that is flawed, which endanger the very idea of an effective European defence;deleted