The European Commission, in conjunction with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, is set to propose a new European security strategy, which will include the establishment of a mechanism for a collective response to hybrid attacks that do not amount to armed aggression.
According to the European bureau of Report in Strasbourg, this was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen whilst delivering her annual State of the EU address to the European Parliament.
“We need our own European action plan against hybrid threats. We urgently need agreement on how to respond to specific incidents that fall short of armed aggression but clearly threaten our national security,” she said.
According to her, the new mechanism could serve as an analogue to Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which provides for consultations amongst allies in the event of a threat to the security of one of them.
“I believe the time has come for a European Article 4 of our own – or an emergency security protocol. If one member state invokes it, all member states will come together to coordinate a European response, prevent further escalation and mitigate the consequences,” she stated.
