Prime Minister Ursula von der Leyen warned that Russia was carrying out “deliberate and targeted gray zone operations” against Europe, which required a complete rethink of defense policy, and urged governments to leave their “safe zones” and move closer to Russia.
“Something new and dangerous is happening in our skies,” the European Commission president told MPs in Strasbourg on Wednesday morning.
Mr. von der Leyen is from Poland, Romania, estonia, Denmark And just recently, Belgium and Germany.
Some of these incidents are believed to be caused by Russia, but others remain unsolved. But they all caused a sense of alarm and crisis. unpleasant calculation About Europe’s unpreparedness to intervene against drones.
Mr. von der Leyen also cited sabotage of critical infrastructure, cyber-attacks, election interference and disinformation as a component of widespread attacks.
“These incidents are calculated to linger in the shadows of denial. This is not random harassment. This is a consistent and escalating campaign to destabilize our people, test our resolve, divide our alliance, and weaken support for Ukraine,” she said.
“And it’s time to call it by its name. This is hybrid warfare.”
“Europe has to respond,” von der Leyen said. “We must investigate every incident and not hesitate to attribute responsibility, because every square centimeter of our territory must be protected.”
Von der Leyen acknowledged that the EU was established to preserve and maintain world peace, and argued that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and subsequent actions on the continent fundamentally changed the way it carried out that mission.
Living in peace now means strengthening our collective capacity to “deter aggression and provocation” and adapt to the “changing nature of war,” she said.
“If we hesitate to act, the gray area will only widen,” she warned.
He then listed new initiatives proposed by the commission’s leaders to strengthen defense capabilities, including an ambitious project to build a “drone wall” along the eastern side of the bloc to detect and shoot down incoming drones.
“A shield for our entire union.”
Since her presentation last month, the “drone wall” has attracted significant political and media attention and was a central topic of discussion at an informal summit of EU leaders in Copenhagen last week.
At the top, Cracks behind the project revealed. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron have questioned its practical feasibility. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni insisted that all EU borders, not just the eastern border, should be secured.
The complaints have prompted speculation in Brussels that the “drone wall” may eventually be renamed or reframed. On Wednesday, von der Leyen directly addressed the criticism, pointing out that the initiative is not “only” about the eastern border.
“We need a 360-degree approach. This anti-drone system will serve as a shield for our entire union, including the south,” she explained.
“It should be designed to address a wide range of challenges, from responding to natural disasters to tackling transnational organized crime, from monitoring migrants with weapons to controlling Russia’s shadow fleet.”
Ms von der Leyen stressed the need to ensure that the still-surging defense spending benefits Europe’s domestic industries and generates a “return on investment”, rather than going to foreign companies.
Even if some member states prefer to focus on the immediate delivery of goods, regardless of their geographical origin, the “Made in Europe” preference, passionately advocated by France, has gradually trickled down throughout the bloc.
Ms. von der Leyen ended her ominous-sounding speech with a final warning.
“The choice before us is simple,” she told lawmakers. “We can either stand by and watch the Russian threat escalate, or we can respond with unity, deterrence and determination. I know which side I will choose.”
