BUCHAREST (Reuters) – The Romanian parliament adopted a bill on Wednesday allowing the army to shoot down drones illegally breaching Romanian airspace, based on threat levels and risks to human life and property.
European Union and NATO state Romania, which shares a 650-km (400-mile) border with Ukraine, has had Russian drone fragments repeatedly fall onto its territory as Moscow has attacked Kyiv’s port infrastructure.
Both chambers of parliament adopted the bill despite strong opposition from ultranationalist hard-right politicians who control more than a third of seats in the legislature.
The bill sets out specific conditions for Romania to control the use of its airspace both for piloted and unmanned aircraft.
The measures for piloted vehicles are progressive, from establishing the aircraft’s position and identity, to attempting contact, interception and warning shots. They can only be destroyed if they conduct an attack or respond aggressively to interception.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, most often drones, can be destroyed, neutralised or taken control of, depending on threat levels. Destruction is a last resort.
Under the proposed law, allied systems present in Romania could also participate in any action, in agreement with collective defence treaties with the NATO and EU member.
(Reporting by Luiza Ilie; writing by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; editing by Christina Fincher)
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