Overview
- Citing a Strasbourg debate on Wednesday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution saying hybrid attacks can amount to warfare and identified Russia as the main state-sponsored threat to the EU.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed an Emergency Security Protocol modelled on NATO’s Article 4, a counter-hybrid playbook and a European Security Council to convene leaders and selected partners for fast political direction.
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and other officials called for stepped-up intelligence cooperation and fuller use of the EU Intelligence and Situation Centre (INTCEN) to improve attribution of drone, cyber and sabotage incidents.
- MEPs asked for concrete tools including a single coordination centre linking the Commission and EEAS, a horizontal EU sanctions regime for hybrid actors, and plans to consider invoking Article 42(7) in especially serious hybrid cases.
- NATO officials and some member states warned the proposals risk duplicating NATO roles and creating turf friction, which could complicate implementation even as the EU moves to strengthen detection, resilience and deterrence for citizens and critical infrastructure.