Greece and Poland have urged the EU to create a Europe-wide air shield system in a joint letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
In their letter Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk propose that the shield, with EU funding, should protect Europe from enemy aircraft, missiles and drones
The two leaders requested that the matter be discussed at the next session of the European Council, which is scheduled to take place on June 27-28.
The head of the Commission, who is a candidate for a second term in the European elections next month, seemed to embrace the proposal of the two leaders, noting in her post on X:
“Let’s continue to support Ukraine and at the same time strengthen our defense. We need less fragmentation and more joint projects, like an air defense shield proposed by @kmitsotakis and @donaldtusk.”
“I sent a letter to the European Commission, together with (Greek) Prime Minister Mitsotakis, regarding a common European defense policy,” Tusk said during an interview with TVP Info on Thursday evening.
“There is already a very positive reaction from the European Commission to make anti-missile air defence a common task for Europe, because it is a huge amount of money,” he added.
EU air shield to protect against aircraft, missiles and drones
In their letter, the two prime ministers propose that the shield would protect Europe from enemy aircraft, missiles and drones, while stressing that the approval of such a project at the European level would send a clear message in all directions about the Europe’s determination to defend itself.
Greece and Poland are, along with the United States, the NATO members that spent the most as a percentage of their GDP in 2023.
The two leaders also point out that the construction of a common shield would act as a catalyst in favor of upgrading and strengthening the European defense industry, while initiating a greater degree of cooperation in this field.
Mitsotakis discussed the issue of the shield – which he has likened in recent statements to the Iron Dome anti-missile and anti-aircraft system used by Israel – when he met Tusk in Warsaw in April.
Greece plans anti-drone system
Last month Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said Greece plans to deploy an anti-drone system similar to the Israeli Iron Dome.
Speaking on SKAI TV Dendias said that the “plan is under way.”
He added that by observing the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, it was determined Greece needs anti-aircraft and anti-drone coverage. “It won’t happen tomorrow, but it will happen. There is a significant expenditure foreseen for this purpose,” he added.
As he noted, “Turkey has taken steps to produce drones, but Greece did not foresee [until now] that this gap in the defense capabilities should be bridged.”