Cyprus asks EU to put mutual defense back on the agenda

The president of Cyprus wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for the EU to resume talks on its mutual defense clause. “I cannot overstate the importance of this provision for the EU and its Member States, especially in times of geopolitical uncertainty,” Nikos Christodoulides wrote in a letter dated Oct. 20 addressed to von der Leyen, seen by POLITICO. Article 42.7 of the Lisbon Treaty states that if an EU member is faced with "armed aggression," other members have an obligation to provide "aid and assistance by all the means in their power." The defense clause article had risen up the agenda because of mounting geopolitical threats, including U.S.