In an effort to enhance its security capabilities, the European Union is working to take practical steps to activate the mutual defense clause enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty, amid growing doubts about the future of NATO. According to European diplomatic sources, the European External Action Service is currently preparing a guide for member states on how and when to activate Article 42, Paragraph 7, known as the EU's mutual assistance clause, which remains less well-known than Article 5 of the NATO charter. According to the information, the guide will include details on the resources and capabilities the EU can provide if this clause is activated, as well as preparing practical scenarios covering three situations: activating NATO's collective defense, activating the EU clause, or activating both simultaneously. Delegations from member states are scheduled to begin administrative simulations in May to test the mechanisms for activating this clause, with the results to be used in drafting the final document. A discussion at the level of European ambassadors is also being prepared. This move comes after Iranian drone attacks on Cyprus reignited the debate on the effectiveness of mutual assistance, raising questions among European diplomats about the practical application of this legal framework. In this context, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides called for the activation of Article 42 to be put on the agenda of the upcoming European Council, emphasizing that this mechanism has undergone a practical test and given it a clear practical application. This development also comes against a backdrop of repeated statements from U.S. President Donald Trump casting doubt on the viability of Article 5 of the NATO charter, most recently after Spain closed its airspace to aircraft participating in U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran. Historically, the EU's mutual assistance clause has been activated only once, when France invoked it in 2015 following the Paris attacks, receiving logistical and intelligence support from several European countries, including Belgium and Germany. Concurrently, the European External Action Service is working on a new EU security strategy, including a comprehensive threat assessment, a common political vision, and a roadmap for implementation, though it is not yet confirmed whether it will explicitly include the mutual defense clause.
