The EU is preparing the first practical manual for the activation of Article 42.7, its defense clause. The simulations are meant to show how states would react to different types of attack.
The European External Action Service (EEAS) is preparing a detailed guide for EU member states when and how they can activate the mutual defense clause of the European Union (Article 42(7) of the EU Treaty). This move comes at a time when US President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). TASR informs about it based on Wednesday’s report of the Euractiv.com portal.
- The EEAS is preparing a guide to defense Article 42.7 of the EU.
- The aim is to clarify the use of the mutual defense clause.
- Simulations will help states better understand possible scenarios.
- In the past, only France used it after the attacks in Paris.
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty on Collective Defense is widely known, the Union clause on mutual defense remains unclear. Diplomatic delegations will therefore undergo a simulation in May, which will serve as a basis for a future document on the activation of the clause.
Several sources familiar with the situation told Euractiv.com that they expect the creation of a manual for EU states for three different scenarios: when Article 5 on NATO collective defense is activated, when Article 42.7 of the EU is activated, and for both mechanisms at the same time. Another source said planning was underway for an ambassador-level debate. The debate among diplomats about the use of the EU’s mutual assistance clause has revived after the Iranian drone attacks on Cyprus.
The interpretation is not accurate
To prepare the final document, member states could go through simulations in which they would react to different scenarios and assess whether Article 42.7 applies to them, the three sources said. However, a more precise date for the completion of the manual is not clear.
According to the clause, if a member state becomes a victim of armed aggression on its territory, other member states are obliged to provide it with assistance and support by all available means in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. According to Euractiv.com, there is a lot of confusion about what exactly this means. Cypriot President Nikos Christodulidis said two weeks ago that he wants to put this issue on the agenda of the next informal meeting of EU leaders, which will take place on April 23-24 in Cyprus.
So far, only France has activated the EU’s mutual defense clause in 2015 after the terrorist attacks in Paris to allow it to withdraw some of its military units from missions abroad. At that time, other states offered him mainly logistical support, and Belgium and Germany provided intelligence, police support and experts in the fight against terrorism. At the same time, the EEAS is preparing a new security strategy for the bloc, which will consist of a threat assessment, a joint document defining the EU’s security policy and detailed implementation instructions.
