ATHENS, April 25 (Reuters) - The EU's mutual assistance clause is unambiguous, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday, after the bloc's leaders asked officials to prepare a blueprint for
Macron: EU Mutual Assistance Clause is Clear as Bloc Discusses Defense Autonomy
EU Defense Autonomy and the Mutual Assistance Clause
ATHENS, April 25 (Reuters) - The EU's mutual assistance clause is unambiguous, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday, after the bloc's leaders asked officials to prepare a blueprint for how it would work amid doubts over Washington's commitment to NATO.
Background: NATO Commitments and Rising Concerns
President Donald Trump's criticism of NATO for failing to back the U.S. in the war with Iran and his threats earlier this year to seize Greenland from Denmark have created urgency in the European Union to define the mutual assistance provisions.
Comparison with NATO's Article 5
Unlike NATO's Article 5 collective defence pact, the EU's mutual assistance clause is not backed by operational plans or military structures. It has been activated only once, by France in 2015, after Islamist attackers killed 130 people in Paris.
Macron's Statement on Article 42, Paragraph Seven
"On article 42, paragraph seven ... we know that for us, it is clear and there is no room for interpretation or ambiguity, if I may say so, on this clause," Macron said at a news conference in Greece with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
EU Defense Efforts: Complementing NATO
Both Macron and the Greek prime minister said efforts to strengthen defence at the EU level should be thought of as a complement to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) rather than a replacement for the alliance.
Statements from Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis
"I would say that NATO and the United States should be satisfied that Europe is taking strategic autonomy seriously and investing more in defence. We are strengthening the European pillar of NATO in this way," Mitsotakis said.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Makini Brice and Claude Chendjou in Paris and Daria Sito-Sucic in Sarajevo; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Alexander Smith)
