Ursula von der Leyen proposes new European security protocol

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a new European Security Strategy during her State of the Union address. A central component of this proposal is the establishment of an emergency security protocol, functioning similarly to Article 4 of the NATO treaty.

This mechanism would be activated when a member state faces serious threats to its national security, triggering urgent consultations among member states to coordinate a collective response, prevent escalation, and mitigate consequences. Von der Leyen emphasized that while the EU works closely with NATO, existing institutional rules and decision-making processes must evolve to meet modern security challenges, particularly hybrid threats that do not involve classic military aggression.

The proposal also includes the idea of high-level meetings dedicated exclusively to the security of the European continent, involving both EU members and key partners.