As if to illustrate how Brussels sees its limited role in the crisis, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described on Monday the range of fields she was focusing on “from energy to nuclear, from transport to migration to security.” She said: “We must be prepared for the fallout.”
In the absence of leverage with the Israelis or Trump, von der Leyen convened a “security college” on Monday: a less-common formation of commissioners where several of them provide updates to their colleagues on issues related to the current crisis. After the meeting, the Commission said in a statement that it planned to respond to the Iran conflict by supporting EU countries and protecting Europeans from its “adverse consequences.”
The EU is “exchanging information on what is happening and monitoring the situation,” said an EU diplomat with knowledge of the discussions, granted anonymity to discuss the confidential talks. “We should have, in normal times, been talking to the American administration. We should have had an adult conversation with the Israelis. None of that seems to be possible … The EU finds itself limited to a side role.”
In practice, the Commission’s aims amount to helping capitals evacuate their citizens from the region and monitoring any disruptions to air traffic and key maritime routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, through which shipments of oil and liquefied natural gas from Gulf states pass.
Intelligence assessments point toward a heightened risk of Iran mounting terror attacks in Europe, a second EU diplomat said.
Defense clause
The EU will also monitor prices and supply levels of energy. The Commission is to convene an energy task force with EU countries, liaising with the International Energy Agency, with a first meeting expected this week.