EU Military Official Calls for Refinement of Collective Defense Clause

A senior European Union military official has called for an overhaul of the bloc’s mutual-defense framework, urging member states to clarify the specifics of their collective-defense obligations in the event of conflict.

Austrian Army General Robert Brieger, Chairman of the European Union Military Committee, made his remarks during the European Defense Agency’s (EDA) annual conference in Brussels on January 22. He emphasized the necessity of refining Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), the clause that outlines the EU’s collective-defense obligations.

Brieger argued that while Article 42.7 stipulates that EU members must assist any state attacked by an external force, the language remains vague. Without clear guidelines, he noted, the EU risks lacking the necessary tools to implement the provision effectively in a real-world crisis.

“We must operationalize Article 42.7,” Brieger said. “Without clarification, it is just a nice-to-have clause with no practical application in defense.”

He posed important questions about the EU’s role in a potential European conflict, such as: What specific tasks could the bloc undertake in the event of collective defense? Could the EU take responsibility for defending critical infrastructure or ensuring cyber-resilience? Additionally, he suggested the possibility of the EU overseeing military mobility in Europe.

As Europe faces new security challenges, especially with the potential for a reduced U.S. role in NATO and European defense, many experts are speculating on how the EU could adapt and fill the gap left behind. One area of interest is how the post-Brexit United Kingdom might cooperate more closely with the EU, especially regarding military matters.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reinforced this notion in her speech at the EDA conference, suggesting that the EU should explore new security agreements with the UK after its departure from the EU. Public opinion in the UK has shifted in recent years, with a recent study from King’s College London revealing that a majority of Brits now prefer Europe as a security partner over the U.S.—a notable reversal of opinion from six decades ago.

However, Sven Biscop, a professor at Ghent University, warned against overestimating the potential for UK-EU military collaboration, stressing that the impacts of Brexit cannot be easily undone. "We must be cautious," Biscop said, acknowledging the limits to what the UK can realistically do outside the EU framework.