EU weighs its own "NATO Article 4" as EPP struggles for unity against far right
EU defense ministers are discussing whether the bloc needs its own emergency security mechanism modeled on NATO's Article 4, while the European Parliament's largest group, the EPP, tries to agree on a strategy against the far right ahead of 2029.
A debate over an EU security mechanism
European Union defense ministers are meeting to discuss whether the bloc should create its own version of NATO's Article 4 of the Washington Treaty, which currently allows alliance members to request consultations when their security is threatened. The EU version of this idea has been dubbed the Emergency Security Protocol, and it would let any member state convene all 27 EU countries in the event of a serious security crisis. The proposal is drawing mixed reactions. Some observers doubt that national capitals genuinely have the political will to set up such a mechanism, while others warn it could be seen as the EU encroaching on territory traditionally reserved for NATO, potentially straining relations between the two organizations.
EPP searches for common ground ahead of 2029
Meanwhile, a separate debate is unfolding in the European Parliament. The European People's Party (EPP), the chamber's largest political group, is working on a strategy to more effectively counter the far right in the 2029 European Parliament elections. The process is not going smoothly, however — the group is reportedly divided internally over how far, and in what form, cooperation with populist parties should extend.
Greece's wellness industry reflects on its practices
A third matter concerns Greece, where the death of a well-known pop star has prompted the country's wellness industry to ask itself difficult questions about its current practices and standards.
