The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called the recent incursions into European airspace, incidents in surrounding waters, cyberattacks, and election influence campaigns a consistent and escalating "gray zone" campaign against Europe and a hybrid war, noting that Europe must respond, and announcing a roadmap with three key points in two weeks. She said this during a speech in the European Parliament on Wednesday, writes UNN.
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"Something new and dangerous is happening in our skies. In the last two weeks alone, MiG fighter jets have violated Estonian airspace, and drones have flown over critical infrastructure in Belgium, Poland, Romania, Denmark, and Germany. Flights have been suspended, planes scrambled, and countermeasures taken to ensure the safety of our citizens," von der Leyen said.
"Make no mistake. This is part of an alarming pattern of growing threats. Across our Union, underwater cables have been cut, airports and logistics hubs paralyzed by cyberattacks, and elections targeted by malicious influence campaigns. These incidents are designed to linger in the shadows of plausible deniability," the head of the European Commission said.
And added: these are not isolated incidents.
This is a consistent and escalating campaign designed to unbalance our citizens, test our resolve, divide our Union, and weaken our support for Ukraine. And it's time to call it by its name. This is hybrid warfare, and we must take it very seriously
"This is a deliberate and targeted 'gray zone' campaign against Europe. And Europe must respond. We must investigate every incident. And we must not shy away from assigning responsibility. Because every square inch of our territory must be protected and secure," the head of the European Commission stressed.
Von der Leyen pointed out: "Russia wants to sow division. We must respond with unity." "It was Italian pilots, as part of NATO's air policing mission, who escorted Russian planes from the skies of Estonia. Ukrainian experts are sharing frontline experience to help member states counter drone incursions. This is solidarity in action. But we must not only react, we must deter. Because if we hesitate to act, the 'gray zone' will only expand," she continued.
The top EU official pointed to the need to have the ability to deter aggression and provocations. "Europe must urgently equip itself with the strategic capacity to respond. One that is ready to respond to the changing nature of warfare," she said, adding that work has already begun and the bloc is seeing the largest surge in defense spending in its history.
Now we need a precise, pan-European plan, closely coordinated with NATO, on how to move forward. This is the basis of the review document we presented to leaders in Copenhagen last week. And in two weeks, we will present our roadmap, Preserving Peace - Readiness Roadmap 2030
According to her, this roadmap will set common goals, specific milestones, and timelines until 2030. And she named three main points for this work.
"The first point concerns direct violations of our airspace. I am talking about pan-European flagships such as "Eastern Flank Watch" and "Drone Wall," the head of the European Commission said.
She called the "Drone Wall" the EU's response to the realities of modern warfare. After all, according to her, it is absolutely unsustainable to, for example, shoot down relatively cheap drones with very expensive latest-generation fighter jets, as was the case in Poland. "We need a system that is affordable and usable. For quick detection, quick interception, and, if necessary, quick neutralization. And we have a lot to learn from Ukraine in this area. Both in terms of capabilities and, more importantly, in terms of their ecosystem of rapid innovation. And Ukraine is ready to support our efforts," von der Leyen emphasized.
At the same time, she pointed out that there is a need to take care not only of the bloc's eastern border, although this is currently a priority, the approach with the drone combat system must be comprehensive, for the entire Union, including the southern flank.
But for protection, this is not enough, the head of the European Commission continued. "And this brings me to my second point – critical capabilities. We have already identified nine critical capabilities – from air defense to cyber and electronic warfare. For each of them, we will form 'Collective Capability Coalitions' – groups of member states committed to working together and quickly," von der Leyen said.
"Thirdly, none of this is possible without a strong European defense industry. We need to be able to rely on our own industrial base, especially in critical times," the head of the European Commission emphasized.
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"Our new defense investments can and must contribute to Europe's competitiveness. They must be based in our Union. That is why at least 65% of any project funded under SAFE must be based in our Union," she said, noting that new factories and production lines are already appearing across Europe.
But, according to her, "fighting Russia's hybrid war is not just a matter of traditional defense": it's about drone software and spare parts for pipelines, rapid cyber response teams, and public awareness campaigns. "This requires a completely new way of thinking for all of us. We must be prepared to step out of our comfort zone. We need to explore new ways of doing things. And most importantly, we must deter anyone who seeks to harm our territory and our people," von der Leyen concluded.