EU Defense Autonomy: Activating Article 42.7

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This episode explores the push by General Seán Clancy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to strengthen the European Union’s defense autonomy through the real activation of Article 42.7, the EU’s mutual defense clause. The initiative aims to equip the bloc to respond to hybrid threats and crises below NATO’s intervention threshold. We examine Europe’s accelerated joint procurement of military technology, the goal of strategic complementarity with NATO, and why full military readiness will extend well beyond 2030.