As European Union leaders meet in Cyprus, the country's President Nikos Christodoulides has called for them to address a long-standing gap in the bloc’s security architecture – how the EU responds if one of its member state comes under attack.
Ahead of the informal summit in Nicosia on Thursday, Christodoulides called on fellow EU leaders to draw up a clear “playbook” for responding to a scenario in which a member state came under attack.
For Cyprus, the question is pertinent. Last month a Shahed drone struck a British air base on the island’s southern coast. According to Cypriot officials, the drone was launched from Lebanon – a reminder of the island’s proximity to an increasingly volatile region.
At the centre of the discussion is Article 42.7 of the Treaty of European Union, the bloc’s mutual defence clause.
It commits all 27 member states to providing “aid and assistance by all the means in their power” if one of them is the victim of armed aggression.
Article 42.7 has only been invoked once to date – by France, in the aftermath of the 2015 Paris attacks. However, this was in the context of a terrorist attack rather than a conventional state-on-state military attack, and was used by France to request support to combat terrorism.
In terms of a full triggering of the article, Christodoulides said: “We have Article 42.7 and we don’t know what is going to happen if a member state triggers this article."
The aim now, he added, is to “prepare an operational plan” that would set out how such assistance would work in practice.
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NATO overlap
In response to last month's drone attack on Cyprus, several EU countries – including France, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands and Portugal – dispatched naval assets equipped with anti-drone systems.
But while the reaction was swift, it was improvised rather than guided by any agreed EU framework. That experience has raised calls for a more structured approach.
One central dilemma is how Article 42.7 would interact with NATO’s collective defence clause, Article 5. With many EU countries also members of NATO, overlapping obligations could create confusion in a crisis.
Christodoulides raised the question of which mechanism takes precedence, and how responsibilities would be divided.
The scope of any response is also in question – whether assistance would be coordinated collectively at the EU level, mirroring NATO’s model, or fall primarily to neighbouring states.
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Geopolitical context
The Nicosia summit takes place as the ongoing Iran war underscores the EU’s exposure to instability on its southern flank.
For Cyprus, which holds the rotating EU presidency until 30 June, the gathering is also an opportunity to deepen ties with regional partners.
Leaders from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan are expected to attend, in an effort to bring the EU and the Middle East closer together. Initiatives such as the Mediterranean Pact – spanning health, education and energy cooperation – are part of that push.
“We can represent the interest of the countries of the Greater Middle East to Brussels,” Christodoulides said.
Energy security is also likely to feature prominently in discussions, as the Iran conflict has highlighted the need for Europe to diversify its energy sources and routes. Cyprus is positioning itself as part of the solution, with offshore natural gas reserves that could contribute to the bloc’s long-term supply.
Talks are reportedly under way with the European Commission on how these resources might be developed. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to present new proposals on energy costs and independence during the summit.
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The Cypriot leader is also championing the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), a project aimed at linking Europe with India through trade, energy and digital infrastructure.
A Friends of IMEC group has been established during Cyprus’ presidency to advance concrete projects, although progress has been slower than hoped. One flagship initiative, the Great Seas Interconnector – an electricity cable linking Greece, Cyprus and eventually Israel – has faced repeated delays.
(with Associated Press)
