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“Europe needs its own counter-hybrid playbook. We urgently need
a consensus on how to respond to certain incidents,” von der
Leyen said, particularly for acts that “fall below armed
aggression but clearly threaten our national security.”
Officials in Germany, Denmark, Poland have in recent weeks
accused Russia of involvement in drone incursions, sabotage,
arson, surveillance of defense facilities and planning to use a
drone carrying explosives to attack an airport.
Italian fighter jets working with NATO shot down a drone over EU
member Lithuania earlier this week, the first time one has been
downed in its airspace. It was believed to have entered from
Russia’s ally, Belarus.
But Europe and NATO are struggling to know how best to respond
to acts that fall short of outright aggression.
Von der Leyen said that the system should be similar to Article
4 of NATO’s founding treaty, which allows countries believing
that their territory is under threat to convene emergency
meetings.
“When triggered by one member state, all member states would
convene, to coordinate a European response, to deter further
escalation, and to mitigate the impact,” she said.
NATO’s Article 4 is separate from Article 5, the collective
security guarantee that obliges all member countries to come to
the aid of an ally under attack.
Von der Leyen also said that the EU commission will also “set
out our ideas to make a European Security Council a reality.” It
would involve other international partners like Britain, Canada,
Norway and Ukraine, she said. No details were provided.
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