European leaders find in Cyprus the excuse to prepare a defense without NATO

BrusselsCyprus is the only European Union member state that has received attacks of Iranian origin in the war initiated by the United States and Israel in the Middle East. The island is located about 200 kilometers from Lebanon – closer than to continental Europe – and is the easternmost community territory. Furthermore, due to its geographical location, it has great military importance. Even so, the country is not part of NATO and, therefore, does not have the military umbrella of the US army. A rare avis within the European club that serves as an excuse for EU leaders, who are meeting this Thursday and Friday precisely in Cyprus, to discuss how to defend themselves from potential attacks without relying on Donald Trump's US, which is increasingly distancing itself from European military interests.

The Cypriot government did not activate Article 42.7 of the European Union treaties when it received the attacks, although the regulation allows it. "If a member state is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other member states are obliged to help and assist it by all means at their disposal," reads the legal text, which resembles Article 5 of collective defense of the Atlantic Alliance.

Although Cyprus did not request military assistance through this channel, European leaders offered it, and now they want to prepare for potential new attacks in the European Union as a whole without having to rely on NATO. Diplomatic sources report that the intention is for the President of the European Council, António Costa, and the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, to explain to the heads of state and government their intentions regarding security, which were already outlined by the Commissioner for Defense, Andrius Kubilius, in an interview with the conglomerate of news agencies European Newsroom.

Brussels will propose the preparation of simulation exercises in the event that the European Union falls victim to an attack by a foreign power and Article 42.7 of the bloc's treaties is activated. Furthermore, the European Commission intends for all member states to inform other European partners of the military potential they possess, and therefore, for all armies to know what assistance they could receive if attacked. Kubilius also announced that Brussels intends to include these plans in the new European security strategy it wants to present this year.

In this regard, the Cypriot president, Nikos Christodoulides, advocated this Thursday for "giving substance" to Article 42.7, which has only been activated once by France after the attack on the magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015. "It is not just for Cyprus, it is for the entire EU," remarked the host leader of the meeting. Nevertheless, Christodoulides reaffirmed the common security commitment of European partners and recalled that at least five member states – France, Italy, Greece, Spain, and the Netherlands – offered him military assistance immediately after the attack by Iranian drones.

Several leaders have spoken in the same vein as the host of the meeting. Although Cyprus is an exception by being part of the EU and not NATO, there is broad consensus among member states to gain military autonomy from the United States and, therefore, to prepare for the worst-case scenarios. "We must revive the [EU's collective defense] article," pointed out, for example, the Lithuanian president, Gitanas Nausėda.

Measures to reduce the price of electricity

European leaders will also discuss the plan presented by the European Commission on energy measures to try to reduce the price of electricity. Among other things, Brussels provides more flexibility in state aid to administrations and promotes greater coordination between member states when buying and storing fossil fuels.

Despite this, several member states are calling for more forceful measures and, for example, Spain and Italy have requested the imposition of an additional tax on the extraordinary profits that energy companies usually make in contexts of rising oil and gas prices like the current one. "The European Commission's proposal is a step forward, but not enough. We need to be braver," criticized the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.

Optimism with Ukraine due to Orbán's farewell

Among European leaders, there is also a certain air of optimism after the electoral defeat of the pro-Russian Hungarian Viktor Orbán, who has not attended the summit. After Budapest has already lifted the veto on two key measures for Ukraine –the delivery of the 90 billion euro macro-loan and the approval of the twentieth package of sanctions against Russia–, community leaders have agreed to point out that the next step is to accelerate the entry of the Ukrainian country into the European Union. "We have to look forward, to the next step: the opening of the first negotiation file for Ukraine's accession," pointed out Costa, who, together with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, met with the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended the meeting in person.

In this regard, several European leaders, especially from Eastern Europe, have said that advantage must be taken of Orbán's absence, because there is no longer a leader who hinders any measure favorable to Ukraine, such as accession to the EU. Nevertheless, several countries, such as France or Germany, have shown more reluctance in the past to an express entry of Ukraine into the European bloc and prefer Kiev to follow all the usual steps, especially while it is at war. "We support Ukraine's accession, but I don't think it's realistic for it to enter on January 1, 2027," said Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.