From words to action: Defend our skies

The EPP Group is urging the EU to move from words to action and defend its airspace, warning that Russia’s escalating hybrid attacks against EU Member States amount to state-sponsored terrorism and demand an immediate, coordinated European response. The EPP Group sets out its position ahead of the European Parliament’s plenary debate later today on airspace violations by Russia.

"Russia is testing Europe´s resolve. The threat is imminent. The range of hybrid activities that Russia has undertaken against the EU amounts to state-sponsored terrorism. It´s time to turn words into action and defend our skies with real capability and determination," states Tomas Tobé MEP, vice-chair of the EPP Group responsible for Legal and Home Affairs.

"Securing NATO’s Eastern Flank and the Black Sea Region is now an urgent necessity. The threat is growing. The EU’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicles capability needs a swiftly implemented plan of actions backed by serious EU financing. Brussels must work with the defence, dual-use industry and learn from Ukraine’s experience. There is no more excuse for delaying a fully integrated EU air defence", underlines Andrey Novakov MEP, who negotiated Parliament's resolution in the Security and Defence Committee.

"We call on the European Commission and the Council to propose measures to stop the growing Russian aggression within the EU and to close the gap that has emerged between Russian actions and conventional military operations", says Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz MEP, who negotiated Parliament's resolution in the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee. 

"Parliament's resolution refers to the legal infrastructure that was established after the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, which enables the fight against terrorism. This is a matter of calling things by their proper name: Russia is a terrorist state, and we, as Europeans, have the right to defend our own territory and critical infrastructure just as we are entitled to defend it against terrorists. This will allow for a range of actions in situations where NATO cannot respond militarily to attacks that constitute acts of terrorism", stresses Sienkiewicz. 

"Ultimately, this plan will send a message to Moscow: If you go any further, we know how to respond to you", warns Sienkiewicz.