BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) – In preparation for the possible eventuality of a large-scale hybrid attack, representatives of the EU states have played through the activation of the mutual assistance clause in the Treaty on European Union. As the German Press Agency learned from diplomats, the ambassadors of the EU member states responsible for security policy as well as experts from the European institutions were involved in the crisis exercise this Monday. The results will also serve to prepare a plan to strengthen the EU’s mutual assistance clause.
For confidentiality reasons, there was initially no detailed information about the course of the exercise. It was only confirmed that a fictitious but realistic scenario was used to check whether the crisis response and coordination would work in the event of hybrid attacks. Such attacks include, for example, cyber attacks on power grids, illegal drone flights and acts of sabotage.
EU wants to become more independent from the USA
Plans to strengthen the EU mutual assistance clause have been going on in the EU for some time. Chancellor Friedrich Merz also promoted this at the Munich Security Conference in February. The background is efforts to become more independent of the USA and, above all, to prepare for cases in which NATO could not take action, for example because of a veto by the US government.
According to diplomats, scenarios are also conceivable in which the EU could intervene in addition to and in addition to NATO. It would be possible, for example, that in the event of an attack it would also put pressure on opponents through trade policy or diplomatic measures.
The assistance clause was activated once
The EU’s mutual assistance clause states that in the event of an armed attack on the territory of a member state, the other member states owe it all the assistance and support in their power.
Article 42.7 is therefore worded even more strictly than Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. According to this, the alliance states have discretion as to how they come to the aid of the allies in the event of an attack.
The EU assistance clause has only been activated once so far – after the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015. Germany then became significantly more active in the fight against the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria. Among other things, Tornado jets were made available for reconnaissance flights./aha/DP/zb
