Andrius Kubilius, the European Defense Commissioner, stated that Europe must respond to Russia's hybrid threats in a "painful" manner. In his remarks, he pointed to the necessity of developing a roadmap for hybrid warfare and said, "We can find ways for Russia to pay a heavy price for its provocations."
Development of New Mechanisms
These remarks came following Ursula von der Leyen's speech, the President of the European Commission, in her annual address on the state of the European Union. Von der Leyen suggested that Europe should create a mechanism to respond to incidents of hybrid warfare. Recent events, including the entry of drones into Eastern Europe and other occurrences at the borders of war, have raised serious concerns in the region.
Read more: Berlin's Guerrilla Unit Mission to Arm Ukraine
Consensus Among Baltic Countries
Last month, multiple incidents prompted five European Commissioners from the Baltic countries to call for a stronger response from the European Union. In her speech, von der Leyen outlined a new European response to threats that are "below the threshold of armed aggression" but clearly threaten national security. One of her proposals is a new mechanism called the "Emergency Security Protocol," which will help strengthen cooperation among member states.
This protocol will bring all member countries together in the event of a crisis to design a coordinated European response and prevent escalation. Kubilius added, "The European Union is a union of solidarity."
European Security Council
Von der Leyen also announced the creation of a new leadership format called the "European Security Council," which will include not only EU member states but also countries such as Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Canada. She said, "For a long time, we have discussed a leadership format focused on the security of our continent, and this is now particularly necessary given the nature and scale of the risks ahead."
Finally, the European Commissioner for Economy, Valdis Dombrovskis, emphasized that the European Security Council will complement NATO and will not compete with it. He said, "We see that the war in Ukraine has turned into a drone war, and Russia is producing millions of drones each year. We need to strengthen our defense capabilities."
Read more: Trump: Canada's Admission as an Associate Member of the EU Could Be Hostile Action · Russia's Attack on Fortress Cities in Ukraine: The Battleground in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk
