European Union foreign ministers gathered in Brussels on Monday to finalise a new mechanism for coordinating the bloc's response to Russian sabotage and other hybrid threats. The move comes amid fresh intelligence warnings that Moscow is preparing further disruptive operations across the continent.
The so-called “emergency security protocol,” championed by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is designed to allow member states to react swiftly and collectively when a hybrid threat is identified. The protocol was first outlined by von der Leyen in her State of the European Union speech in Strasbourg in mid-September and would form part of a broader security architecture.
“We need to be vigilant because we see in the intelligence that Russia is planning more sabotage acts,” Kallas told reporters as she arrived for the talks. She stressed that such attacks are aimed at European democracy, seeking to divide communities and intimidate them into withdrawing support for Ukraine. “We have to keep this in mind while standing up to these threats,” she added.
The mechanism would be triggered by a member state when a hybrid incident occurs, after which EU countries would convene to coordinate their response. Kallas said it would cover incidents that fall “under the threshold for armed aggression” but still require a united reaction.
Recent incidents underscore urgency
The urgency of the talks was highlighted by a series of recent events, including the breach of Finnish airspace by a Russian aircraft over the Gulf of Finland on Friday, which prompted Finnish and Swedish authorities to scramble fighter jets. Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen said on his way into the meeting that Europe and NATO must take “bigger measures” and establish “stronger coordination” to counter such activities.
Asked about the airspace violation, Häkkänen said the incident should serve as a springboard for Europe to strengthen its air defences further. “We need money,” he said, adding: “We need joint procurements.” His comments echo broader concerns about the bloc's military readiness, as highlighted in the EU's first Defence Readiness Report, which warns that member states are not rearming quickly enough to be ready to defend against Russia by 2030.
Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson said Russia was seeking to “scare” and “intimidate” Ukraine's allies through hybrid attacks, but argued that the strategy would fail as the EU continued to support Kyiv and impose further restrictions on Moscow. “We welcome more measures when it comes to combatting the shadow fleet, when it comes to more sanctions, more visa restrictions, and of course with more support to Ukraine,” he said.
The Finnish-Swedish interception was reported earlier, and it came on the same day that the Danish Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS) said the risk of Russian military action against NATO countries was growing, while describing an outright invasion as “highly unlikely” but not impossible.
Spanish daily El Mundo also reported last week that Russia could be preparing a drone operation targeting Spain, France and Italy. French President Emmanuel Macron has rejected claims that the CIA warned Paris of such a threat, but the report has added to the sense of unease.
Estonia's newly appointed Defence Minister Martin Herem said on his way into the defence meeting that Tallinn's priority is to continue supporting Ukraine, whether through bilateral action or further discussions on the long-debated immobilised Russian assets. “It's all despite the fact that the Russian Foreign Minister (Sergey Lavrov) threatened us for that, and the Russian special forces are conducting sabotage acts,” he said.
Ministers are also expected to discuss the EU's first Defence Readiness Report, described by Reuters as an assessment warning that the bloc is not rearming quickly enough to be ready to defend against Russia by 2030. The year 2030 has been identified by various European intelligence agencies as a potential point by which the Kremlin could be ready to launch armed aggression against NATO allies.
The meeting comes as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said Putin is in a “bad place” as the alliance braces for hybrid threats. The EU's new protocol is seen as a key part of the bloc's broader effort to bolster its resilience, alongside ongoing discussions on Ukraine funding and NATO's own preparations.
