EU leaders task Brussels to clarify “how to respond” if a partner activates the mutual defense clause

The heads of State and Government of the European Union have asked the European Commission to clarify the operation of the mutual defense clause provided for in the Union Treaties to know “how to respond” in the event that one or more partners activate this mechanism to request the support of the rest of the bloc in the face of external aggression, after the attack last March by an Iranian drone on a British base located in Cyprus would demonstrate the need to foresee its mode of application.

“We have agreed that the Commission prepares a proposal on how to respond in the event that a Member State activates Article 42.7, because there are a series of questions that need to be answered,” the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, explained to the press upon his arrival in Nicosia for the second day of the European Union leaders’ summit.

The president has indicated that this was one of the conclusions of last night, at the informal dinner with which this informal European Council began and in which a discussion was expected on how to develop this mechanism in practice, without expecting precise decisions. The mutual defense clause, an alternative in the European framework to Article 5 of NATO and which requires cooperation between governments in the face of external attacks, has only been activated once in history, when France requested the support of the rest of the members of the Union after the Paris attacks in 2015.

In this context, the leaders now want Ursula von der Leyen’s Executive to foresee in a document “what are the needs of governments or countries” that can activate article 42.7, so that if the case arises in which one or several partners take the step they have an “operational plan to put into action”, explained the Cypriot president, who after the incident at the British base chose not to resort to this mechanism, but thanked the solidarity shown by countries such as France and Spain who sent maritime support to the island.

Christodoulides has also particularly highlighted the importance of addressing this reflection and preparing a clear operational plan for an article that covers all EU members, including those that are not members of NATO – Cyprus, Malta, Ireland and Austria – and, therefore, do not have the coverage offered by Article 5 of the Atlantic alliance.

This same week, the European Commissioner for Defense and Space, Andrius Kubilius, announced in an interview with Europa Press and other agencies of the European News consortium that Brussels is already working on preparing simulation exercises to test article 42.7 and thus guarantee a more coordinated response between member states.

Then, Kubilius noted the need for Member States to have “much clearer” information on the assistance available, both civil and military, and has proposed an “operational manual” or “toolbox” that brings together “in a concise manner” all the support mechanisms available to Member States.

“A document that you can open, where you know who to call, what you can get, and that doesn’t leave you alone trying to figure out who can help you or how that mutual assistance is going to be implemented and provided,” the commissioner explained.