“The prime minister should brief tomorrow’s summit and immediately take the initiative to draw up an operational plan for implementing the mutual assistance clause (Article 42(7)),” PASOK MEP Nikolas Farantouris is urging the Greek government, following a response to his written question from Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and a vice-president of the European Commission.
Against the backdrop of the electricity interconnector with Cyprus, Nikolas Farantouris had sought clarification on the EU’s operational readiness and the possible activation of the mutual assistance clause if a member state, such as Greece, were attacked by a third country, such as Turkey.
Kaja Kallas acknowledges the “relevance” of Article 42(7) of the Treaty on European Union and confirms that there is a “catalogue of EU tools that can be deployed in a crisis”. She stresses, however, that invoking the clause is the “sovereign prerogative of the member state under attack”.
Friday’s European Council
“It is clear that activating Article 42(7) is a matter for the country under threat,” Nikolas Farantouris said in comments from Brussels. He added: “Despite Turkey’s escalation and threats, and the Commission’s mention of the issue at the informal summit in Cyprus on 23-24 April, the Greek government did not raise it again either at the June summit or at subsequent summits.
The prime minister must tell his counterparts at the European Council on Friday, 13 November, that if a confrontation occurs, Greece will invoke the clause, so they know in advance and each can take responsibility.”
What Article 42(7) provides
Article 42(7) was introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009, establishing an explicit legal and political commitment to collective security among European states: “If a Member State is subjected to armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States are obliged to provide it with aid and assistance by all the means at their disposal.”
The wording obliges member states to assist the member state under attack. Assistance can be military or logistical, financial, administrative or digital.
The clause has been invoked only once, by France, following the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015. In April 2026, following a drone overflight in Cyprus, the article was not invoked, but some of our partners voluntarily sent naval forces.
According to Nikolas Farantouris, an MEP and professor of European law, Greece must make clear now that it will be forced to invoke the clause in the event of an armed confrontation.
The PASOK MEP concluded:
“The Commission and the High Representative are telling us clearly that the clause is a sovereign prerogative of member states. The government must seize the opportunity and submit a request for an operational plan at tomorrow’s summit.”