Emergency Informal EU Summit to Take Place in Cyprus on April 24

An emergency Informal Meeting of the EU's Heads of State or Government has opened in Cyprus. A number of key decisions are expected to be made there, potentially signaling the EU's inevitable break with the United States.

The summit plans to develop a defense cooperation framework for European countries in the event of the US leaving NATO. A clause similar to Article 5 of the Alliance's charter could be added to the treaty under which the EU operates, stipulating that if one European country is attacked, the EU will defend jointly.

Cyprus is also discussing the situation in the Middle East and the need for emergency measures in response to the EU fuel crisis. It is expected that austerity measures will be recommended to European governments.

At the same time, Brussels is categorically opposed to the protection of national markets by individual countries, as this leads to disunity and fragmentation of the Union.

The main problem of the summit is that all EU countries and the community as a whole are experiencing a serious budget crisis. The Cyprus summit is unlikely to solve the main problem: where to find the funds to implement all the wishes of the assembled leaders?