French President Emmanuel Macron, who was in Athens on Saturday, assured that the mutual assistance clause between European Union countries, in the event of an attack, “is made of solid concrete” and does not suffer any “ambiguity”, reports AFP.
“For Greece and for France, Article 42.7” of the EU treaties “is concrete, that is, it is an obligation,” the French president said during a joint press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
From “reinforced concrete”, added the Greek prime minister in turn.
At the initiative of Cyprus, which holds the EU presidency this semester, the 27 member states are analyzing a strengthening of this clause, which stipulates that if a member state is “the target of an armed aggression on its territory”, the other states “must give it aid and assistance by all the means at their disposal”.
“I don't think there is currently a need to change the treaties or amend them. They are very clear,” Macron said on the second day of his visit to Greece.
“There is simply a need, firstly, to continue to strengthen the defense and security of all our countries,” and then to move toward “the more sovereign Europe that we want.”
🇫🇷🇬🇷 Strategic partnership with Greece: đź—Ł”Pour la Grèce et la France, l'article 42-7, c'est du bĂ©ton [clause d’assistance mutuelle en cas de violation de la souverainetĂ© ou de l’intĂ©gritĂ© territoriale d’un des pays]declares Emmanuel Macron depuis Athènes. “Mais nous avons… pic.twitter.com/eIsEuSzrZn
— L'Echiquier social (@EchiquierSocial) April 25, 2026
The EU is now drawing up a detailed plan on mutual defense assistance
At the European summit held in Cyprus the other day, EU leaders called for a plan on how the bloc's mutual defense assistance clause, so far rather vague, would work.
The decision comes amid doubts about the United States' commitment to NATO. Donald Trump's criticism of NATO and his threat to annex Greenland, both of which come amid Russia's war in Ukraine, have fueled concern among EU officials, Reuters writes.
On Friday, the president of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, said that EU leaders agreed on Thursday evening, at the European Council, that it is time to materialize the pact provided for in Article 42.7 of the bloc's fundamental treaty.
“We have to find an answer”
“We agreed last night that the (European) Commission will prepare a plan on how we will react if a member state invokes Article 42.7. There are a number of questions that we need to find an answer to,” Christodoulides said.
Unlike the collective defense pact under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, which is considered the cornerstone of European security, the EU's mutual assistance clause is not supported by detailed operational plans or military structures.
It was activated only once, by France, after Islamist bombers killed 130 people in Paris in 2015. Member states then stepped in with contributions to EU and international military missions, allowing France to redeploy troops.
Objections
Cyprus is particularly interested in strengthening the provisions of Article 42.7 after a drone struck a British air base on the island last month during the conflict with Iran.
The country, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council, is not a member of NATO.
But some EU countries are anxious to guard against any action that might suggest they are moving away from NATO and the Article 5 mutual defense pact.
“For me it is absolutely crucial that Article 5 is the key to our collective defense and security and remains so,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda told reporters on Thursday.
What does article 42.7 say
Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty states that “if a member state is the victim of an armed aggression on its territory, the other member states have the obligation to provide aid and assistance by all the means at their disposal”.
“Let's say France invokes Article 42.7. Which countries will be the first to respond to the French government's request, what are the needs of the government or the country invoking Article 42.7? All these aspects will be included in a plan,” Christodoulides said.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas briefed leaders on ongoing work to flesh out Article 42.7, an EU official was quoted as saying by Reuters.
“NATO remains the cornerstone of collective defense,” stressed the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “But the EU has tools complementary to NATO, such as sanctions, financial assistance and humanitarian aid, which could be used in an Article 42.7 situation.”
Kallas' team is working out scenarios that include hybrid attacks, conventional attacks and a case where both NATO Article 42.7 and Article 5 are triggered in parallel, the official said.
“The Biggest and Most Important Question”
Doubts about the US commitment to NATO were made very clear by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Europe's “biggest and most important question” is whether the United States is prepared to be a loyal NATO partner in the event of a Russian attack, he told the Financial Times in an interview published Friday.
He called for the European Union to become a “real alliance” in protecting the continent.
“For the entire eastern flank, my neighbors, the question is whether NATO is still an organization ready, both politically and logistically, to react, for example against Russia, should it try to attack,” he said.
Tusk said a potential attack by Russia would be “something really serious”.
“I mean the short-term outlook, months rather than years. For us, it is very important to know that everyone will treat NATO obligations as seriously as Poland,” he said.
