Romanian government approves draft laws allowing it to shoot down foreign drones

The Romanian government approved two draft laws establishing protocols for handling - and even shooting down - foreign drones entering the country’s airspace during peacetime.

The first bill specifies which institutions will make decisions to prevent or counter unauthorized entries into the national airspace by aircraft, drones, and other aerial vehicles.

"Unmanned aerial vehicles will be subject to the same attention and regulations currently applicable to manned aircraft, both from a civil and military perspective,” according to a government spokesperson cited by Biziday.

The second bill outlines actions that can be taken against drones entering airspace without the need to declare an exceptional state on Romanian territory. Measures could include taking control of the flight, neutralizing the drones by disabling their command and control functions, or destroying them as a last resort.

"The measures are implemented based on the level of threat, within the limits of applicable international law, after considering all specific circumstances of the event and prioritizing the protection of human lives," the draft legislation emphasizes.

The legislative initiatives come one year and three months after parts of a Russian drone from the war in Ukraine fell on Romanian territory in Tulcea County, in Plauru. This was not the first time that a drone violate Romanian airspace. In a separate incident, a Shahed drone launched by Russia crossed Romanian airspace and was spotted and followed by NATO fighter jets. In another incident, a Russian drone briefly entered Romanian airspace during an attack on the Ukrainian city of Izmail, near the border.

To come into force, the initiatives must be debated and voted on by Parliament, then promulgated by the president.

(Photo source: Trentinness | Dreamstime.com)