Publication

This brief focuses on the origins and nature of Article 42.7 (the solidarity clause) of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, including the lingering questions over how it should be implemented. In particular, the brief’s author 1) looks at the past two occasions when member states came close of activating the Article; 2) ponders how the EU tries to manage internal security shocks that have their origins outside its territory; 3) contemplates whether it is indeed possible to link the solidarity clause with the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP); and 4) ultimately wonders if the clause currently in place is well-suited to today’s challenges.