The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has defended Wednesday that the European Union (EU) against the “hybrid war” of Russia also covers the southern flank and responds to threats such as illegal migration or natural disasters, as Spain, Italy or Greece claim.
The defense of that end of the Union has been a constant battle horse of Madrid. Now, before the attacks of Vladimir Putin, Brussels proposes a protection of “360 degrees”, which also adds “challenges” also, opening the fan to more distant countries in the east and the center of the old continent, responding to southern security claims.
In a debate in the European Parliament on the response to the crisis of the, the community president has stressed that these incidents “are calculated” and it is not “random harassment.” “It is a coherent and growing campaign to destabilize our citizens, to test our determination, divide our union and weaken our support to Ukraine,” he highlighted before the MEPs in Strasbourg (France), to emphasize that “it is time to call it by name: it is a hybrid war and it must be taken seriously.”
The leader of the European Executive has insisted that these incidents are part of a pattern of “growing threats” that also includes cyber attacks to critical infrastructure, misinformation campaigns and submarine cable cuts.
For all these reasons, the German conservative has defended standing an anti -Didron wall, in the, the great defense project designed to reinforce the flank is in all its aspects, to “respond” to the “deliberate campaigns” against Europe and defend the territory of the Union.
“We need a system that is affordable and adequate for its purpose. For rapid detection, a rapid interception and, when necessary, rapid neutralization,” he stressed, insisting that the project “will supervise and protect” the heavens, seas and territory of the countries of the east flank, taking into account that this region is “priority”, but has defended expanding the system to the entire union.
“Large spectrum of challenges” and look south
Von der Leyen has said that “it is not just about the eastern border” and that the EU must have a “360 degree” approach to have “a shield for the entire union, including the southern flank.” Thus, he has opted for the antidron wall to also respond to “a broad spectrum of challenges”, including the response to natural catastrophes or the fight against organized crime.
In this way, it responds to the reserves expressed by Spain, Greece and Italy that in the last informal summit of leaders of the 27 in Copenhagen reiterated that the borders of the Union are “very extensive” and asked that the security system not focus only on the east flank.
Specifically, Spain insisted on applying a 360 degree vision to European defense strategies and that security issues also take into account “climatic emergency.”
Already in 2022, the hosts fought so that the southern flank was part of the agenda, much more focused on the newly started Ukraine War or in the Indo-Pacific challenges. Although there is no official definition of the so-called “South Flanco”, if we take as a reference to the NATO Strategy Direction-South (NSD-S) we had a first geographical approach to Africa and the Middle East, in conjunction with the adjacent areas and associated air and maritime spaces. In the strategic concept that emerged that year, NATO already raises a “360º approach” for crisis prevention and management, with “constant observance and response capacity to threats from any strategic direction.”
Majority support
The main groups of the European Parliament have expressed their support for the project that wants to launch Brussels, thus the PP Eurodiput, Esteban González Pons, has indicated that the Anti -Didrones shield sends a “message of unity” but at the same time warning that in the face of millionaire military policies, in Ukraine the drones dominate the battlefield. “In Ukraine the mice make the elephants flee but we continue to think of elephants,” he said.
In this sense, he stressed that if it will be with a drone “without flag, almost undetectable” and designed by “a small group of students.” “It does not seek to gain territory but influence. In his world the open war replaces deterrence and if we do not show him that we are ready to respond, we will not be able to deter it,” he said.
On a socialist side, the head of the delegation in the Eurocamara, Iratxe Garcia, has defended to create a common anti -air defense project, as well as the Anti -Didish shield, which is able to defend Europe, “its sky and its future.”
Thus he has asked to reinforce Ukraine and have more hard hand against Russia, warning that appeasement does not work with Putin, who has said that he will only negotiate when he thinks he is losing the war. “Only the EU can guarantee the survival of Ukraine, and on that depends our security,” he argued.
The Erodiputada of ERC, Diana Riba, has warned that incursions into the airspace are not isolated and follow the wave of the “hybrid strategy that wants to test Europe as a democratic project.” After notifying the risk of acting from the urgency and with scattered actions, it stressed that Europe defends itself with “more than weapons” already through “the conviction of defending its values with nails and teeth.”
