The European Union plans to test how the mutual assistance clause between member states in the event of armed aggression works in practice. Politico reports this, writes UNN.
Details
This refers to Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty, which obliges states to provide assistance to each other in the event of an attack, but does not clearly define whether this includes a military response.
Next month, EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas will oversee special "tabletop" exercises. Their goal is to practice the bloc's political response to possible aggression against one of the countries.
According to officials, additional exercises involving defense ministers are planned to be held afterwards to assess the practical application of the mechanism.
Reasons for intensifying the discussion
Interest in Article 42.7 has grown amid increased security risks and doubts about the effectiveness of NATO guarantees. In particular, tensions in relations with the United States and Donald Trump's statements have called into question the reliability of Article 5 of the Alliance.
An additional factor was the drone attack on Cyprus in March, after which the country expressed interest in a clear understanding of EU support mechanisms.
Uncertainty and next steps
Article 42.7 takes into account the position of neutral states such as Austria and Ireland, which also complicates its practical application. At the same time, most EU countries are members of NATO, where the collective defense mechanism is more clearly defined.
The EU External Action Service is preparing a separate document that should explain how security guarantees can work in practice. Currently, this article has been applied only once - by France after the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015.