BRUSSELS (AP) 鈥� The European Union is set to ramp up tests on rules that oblige the bloc’s 27 member countries to help each other in times of crisis, as the reality sinks in that Washington’s commitment to in Europe under U.S. President Donald Trump is evaporating.
At a summit in Cyprus starting later Thursday, leaders will work on 鈥渁n operational plan鈥� to make best use of the EU鈥檚 military, security, trade policy and other assets in times of need, Cypriot President told The Associated Press.
In mid-May, EU envoys will take part in 鈥渢able-top exercises鈥� to game out how Article 42.7 of the bloc鈥檚 treaties could be used to provide collective assistance to a nation in the event of an attack or an invasion by .
EU defense ministers are expected to carry out similar tests a few weeks later. The exercises are focused on political decision-making and don’t involve armed forces, government agencies or other assets in the field.
Like NATO’s Article 5, but not exactly
Under NATO鈥檚 Article 5 , an attack on one ally is deemed an attack on them all and one that requires a collective response, often, though not exclusively, by military means.
It鈥檚 only ever been activated once, in support of the United States following the Sept. 11 attacks and led to NATO鈥檚 failed 18-year security effort in Afghanistan.
The EU鈥檚 Article 42.7, which was drafted to avoid conflict with Article 5, has also only been used once, at the request of France following terror attacks in Paris in 2015 that left and more than 400 others wounded.
The EU article states that if a nation 鈥渋s the victim of armed aggression on its territory,鈥� its partners should provide 鈥渁id and assistance by all the means in their power.鈥�
It provides that such help should be in accordance with the U.N. charter and not conflict with NATO commitments, and the clause makes allowances for the neutrality of member countries like Austria and Ireland.
When the US is absent
In the case of France, EU nations expressed solidarity and offered support. France appealed to its partners to step up their efforts against international terrorism, which freed up French forces for a major security operation at home.
Similar exercises to test the use of Article 42.7 have been held over the past decade. But growing doubts about the U.S. commitment to NATO and the future EU membership of war-ravaged Ukraine have brought new urgency to the preparations.
Recent reflection about how the Europeans might defend themselves gathered pace after Trump threatened to , which is a semiautonomous part of the kingdom of Denmark, a NATO ally.
Several European countries sent just a few soldiers each to the massive island off the coast of Canada in a highly symbolic display of solidarity with Denmark. Trump railed that he would impose tariffs on countries that took part, but he eventually backed down.
Trump鈥檚 decision to launch a , alongside Israel, seemed to justify the planning. A by Iran in March targeted a U.K. military base on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, which currently holds the EU鈥檚 rotating presidency.
Options and issues
Unlike NATO, which is purely a security organization, the EU has many more diverse weapons at its disposal. They range from military might to the use of sanctions, border controls, or trade and visa policies.
The extent to which they and other measures might be used in times of crisis are set to be put to the test again in coming weeks as wars fester in the Middle East, absorbing U.S. attention, and in Ukraine.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know what is going to happen if a member state triggers this article,鈥� Christodoulides told the AP. 鈥淭here are a number of issues.鈥�
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Menelaos Hadjicostis contributed to this report from Nicosia, Cyprus.
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