The activation of the Mutual Assistance Clause has not been discussed at this stage, although it cannot be ruled out that this may happen in the coming days, in the context of meetings that are scheduled to take place, according to what the Commission’s chief spokesperson, Paula Pinho has told reporters.
“It will certainly be discussed in the coming days and at the various meetings that will take place,” Pinho said on 2 March, stressing that she cannot judge in advance; however, “at this moment there is no such discussion, that is, about the activation of the mutual assistance clause,” she replied, following a question regarding the incident at the British air base in Cyprus.
The Mutual Assistance Clause is provided for in Article 47(7) of the Treaty of Lisbon and stipulates that, in the event that a Member State is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States are obliged to provide it with aid and assistance by all the means in their power, in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. It is noted that the obligation of mutual defence is binding on all Member States, without affecting the neutrality of certain Member States, and is consistent with the commitments of countries that are members of NATO.
This provision is complemented by the solidarity clause (Article 222 TFEU), which provides for the obligation of the Member States to act jointly if one of them is the victim of a terrorist attack or is affected by a natural or man-made disaster.
(Source: CNA)
