Every word and clause is still being fiercely contested, in particular the insertion of a robust public interest defence clause.
Nato itself is helping France, but there are no plans to trigger the Article 5 defence clause to mobilise the alliance's armed forces.
In the past few months, the ANC did accept more than 120 amendments to its original draft but not, crucially, a public-interest defence clause.
EU defence ministers meeting in Brussels made their offer using an EU treaty mutual defence clause provision that provides for "aid and assistance" in the event of an attack.
Defence cooperation between member states was given more weight when the EU last updated its treaties, with a mutual defence clause introduced in the Lisbon treaty requiring member states to come to each other's aid.
Although some of its harshest provisions have been watered down, they say the absence of a strengthened public interest defence clause will endanger whistleblowers and have a chilling effect on investigative journalism aimed at uncovering corruption.
But it is worried about the idea of a permanent chairman for the 12 eurozone countries, an EU foreign minister, a public prosecutor and a mutual defence clause which could undermine Nato.
They are right to do so – for if the Balkans goes wrong again, Croatia as an EU member would have the right to call for support under the mutual defence clause of the Lisbon treaty, and all EU members would have the obligation to support it.
Llewellyn Landers, an ANC MP, said the bill would not have a public-interest defence clause because "it would do irrevocable harm to the state and the people of South Africa if a court should find that a whistleblower was found to have given information not out of public interest but out of maliciousness".
On the diplomatic front, Hollande's decision to call for a large and single international coalition against Isis is an attempt to put France at the forefront of the fight against the group – with a strong focus on rallying other EU member states through an EU treaty collective defence clause.
