EU seeks NATO-style mechanism to counter drone and cyber threats

Strasbourg,UPDATED: Sep 16, 2026 14:26 IST

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that the European Union needs a NATO-like mechanism to respond better to drone incidents, acts of sabotage and cyberattacks across Europe, many of which have been blamed on Russia. She said the bloc urgently needs a common system to deal with threats that do not amount to open armed aggression but still pose a serious security risk.

Speaking in Strasbourg, von der Leyen said Europe should have a response model similar to Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, which allows member countries to call emergency consultations when they believe their territory is under threat. She also said the European Commission would set out its ideas for making a European Security Council a reality, with other international partners such as Britain, Canada, Norway and Ukraine, though she gave no details.

“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 and Poland have in recent weeks accused Russia of involvement in drone incursions, sabotage, arson, surveillance of defence facilities and planning to use a drone carrying explosives to attack an airport.

Earlier this week, Italian fighter jets working with NATO shot down a drone over EU member Lithuania, the first time one has been downed in its airspace. It was believed to have entered from Belarus, a close ally of Russia. But Europe and NATO are still struggling over how best to react to actions that stop short of outright aggression.

Explaining her proposal, von der Leyen said that if such a mechanism were 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 noted that NATO’s Article 4 is separate from Article 5, the alliance’s collective security guarantee under which all member countries are obliged to come to the aid of an ally under attack. Overall, her remarks underlined the EU’s push for a more coordinated response to hybrid threats across Europe.

With PTI Inputs

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