European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on the European Union to take seriously its mutual defense obligations under Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty, warning that “mutual defense is not optional for the EU.”
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, von der Leyen emphasized that the clause should be treated as Europe’s Plan B for security, particularly in a world where U.S. commitment to NATO has grown unpredictable.
The clause obliges EU members to provide “aid and assistance by all the means in their power” if another member state is attacked—similar to NATO’s Article 5, which guarantees collective defense. However, repeated statements by former U.S. President Donald Trump have cast doubt on the U.S.’s reliability, including his controversial claim to Greenland, heightening European concerns.
Von der Leyen stressed: “It is our collective commitment to stand by each other in case of aggression,” though she provided no specifics on how the EU would operationalize the clause.
Analysts say her remarks reflect a growing push for European strategic autonomy, signaling that the EU may need to hedge its security bets independently of NATO, especially amid what has been described as the worst transatlantic crisis in decades.
