Greece and Poland have called on the EU to create an EU-wide air shield system in a joint letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Greek media reported.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk proposed in their letter that an EU-funded shield should protect Europe from enemy aircraft, missiles and drones.
The two leaders asked to discuss the issue at the next session of the European Council, which will be held on June 27-28. Tusk said during an interview with TVP Info on Thursday evening:
“I sent a letter to the European Commission, together with (Greek) Prime Minister Mitsotakis, regarding a common European defence policy. 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.”
EU air shield will defend against planes
In their letter, the two prime ministers propose to defend Europe against enemy planes, missiles and drones, emphasising that approval of such a project at European level would send a clear signal in all directions about Europe’s determination to defend itself.
Poland spent 3.92% of its gross domestic product on defence in 2023, while Greece allocated just over 3%. Along with the US, they are among the top three spending nations within NATO.
The two leaders also noted that the creation of a common shield would serve as a catalyst for modernising and strengthening the European defence industry, as well as initiating a greater degree of cooperation in this area.
Mitsotakis discussed the shield, which in recent statements he compared to the Iron Dome anti-missile and anti-aircraft system used by Israel, during a meeting with Tusk in Warsaw in April.
Greece needs a drone defence system
Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said last month that Greece plans to deploy a drone defence system similar to Israel’s Iron Dome.
Speaking to SKAI TV channel, Dendias said that “the plan is under development.”
He added that after watching the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, Greece realised it needed anti-air and anti-drone defences. He also said:
“It won’t happen tomorrow, but it will happen.”
