The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, sent a letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, requesting that the EU’s mutual assistance clause be put back on the agenda, as well as an update on the proposals made so far and the next steps, according to information from POLITICO, which saw the text of the letter.
“I cannot overemphasize the importance of this provision for the EU and its member states, especially in times of geopolitical uncertainty,” President Christodoulides reportedly wrote in the letter, dated October 20.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
According to Article 42.7 of the Treaty of Lisbon, in the event of an armed attack against a Member State, the other Member States are obliged to provide “aid and assistance by all means at their disposal.”
“Given the seriousness of the challenges we face, Cyprus would welcome the resumption of discussions in the relevant preparatory bodies. I would therefore appreciate an update on the proposals under consideration, as well as a timeline for the next steps,” the President noted.
As noted, the Union had conducted desk-top exercises earlier, with the six-month Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU—which concluded on June 30—making the issue a priority, following the attack by Iranian drones on a British base on Cypriot soil in March. According to POLITICO, the issue had come up for discussion due to mounting geopolitical threats, including the undermining of the transatlantic alliance by U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its hybrid warfare campaign against the EU, as well as the wars in the Middle East.
Since then, however, it has been noted that the issue has largely fallen off the EU’s radar, as attention has shifted to negotiations on the seven-year European budget, totaling nearly 2 trillion euros, and to securing additional funding for Ukraine.
According to a report by POLITICO and information available to KYPE, Article 42.7 is not expected to be discussed at an EU leaders’ summit in the immediate future, as confirmed to the European media outlet by a senior EU official who requested anonymity. KYPE has not independently confirmed the content of the letter.
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Source: CNA
