Drones: Europe must stand united against hybrid warfare

Today, the European Parliament has just voted on the united response to recent Russian violations of the EU Member States' airspace and critical infrastructure, a joint motion put forward by the Greens/EFA and other groups. The Greens/EFA Group are calling for a united European response against hybrid warfare and attacks on infrastructure.

Villy Søvndal MEP, Greens/EFA negotiator for the file, comments:

“Europe must stand united in the face of drone incursions and hybrid warfare. These episodes have made it clear that we have shared responsibility for European security. These are shared European problems that require shared European solutions. An attack on one European country is an attack on all of us.

“The European response must be based on more than futuristic sounding slogans and utilise all the tools possible to defend EU airspace, infrastructure and people. European states should have the right to tackle airborne threats.

“We are at the side of all those people who feel the Russian threat on our borders. We have to fully phase out Russian fossil fuel imports. The Russians are using the money from energy profits to fund Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine.

“Drones flying over Denmark or Belgium aren’t coming all the way from the eastern Baltic, they are launching from within European territory. The Russian shadow fleet that plagues our waters must be dealt with urgency.

“Ukraine leads the way on drone defence and their support during this crisis is invaluable. The Ukrainian contribution to our security both on the front lines in Ukraine and here inside the EU must be recognised. We are in awe of the Ukrainian people and can learn so much from Ukraine Europe will only be secure and united when Ukraine is a full member of this Union and we will continue to push for Ukrainian accession as soon as possible.