European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to call on Wednesday for the creation of a European Security Council to coordinate responses to threats among EU countries and a number of their partners, during her annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
How the proposed council’s security consultation mechanism would work
According to European sources, the proposed council would operate through a mechanism similar to the consultations set out in Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty. It could be convened when a member state believes its security faces a direct threat. Article 4 allows any NATO member to request consultations with allies if it considers its territorial integrity, political independence or security to be at risk.
European alliance to deepen cooperation with Canada
Von der Leyen is expected to present Canada as a key EU partner and propose creating an “Alliance for the Future” to deepen cooperation between the two sides. The draft calls for stronger ties with like-minded countries, including Canada and Britain, in areas including artificial intelligence security and safety.
The proposed framework for cooperation with Canada falls short of full EU membership, which the Commission considers legally impossible because of the country’s location in North America. The draft quotes von der Leyen as saying: “We want to elevate the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible.”
The idea of establishing a European security council was previously raised as part of a Franco-German initiative, then drew renewed interest after the war between Russia and Ukraine, including through a call by EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius. The nature of the proposed council’s relationship with NATO, and the positions of NATO leadership and the United States, have yet to be determined.
