Commission does not confirm alert over possible drone attacks on Italy, France and Spain

The European Commission says it has seen reports about an alleged warning concerning possible Russian drone attacks on some southern European states, but specifies that it is not aware of the specific alert described in the press. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto separately stated that the information concerning such an alert has not been confirmed.

The European Commission does not confirm the existence of a specific alert concerning possible Russian drone attacks on Italy, France or Spain, following reports that US intelligence services had allegedly warned several European governments. Brussels says it is aware only of the press reports and explicitly distinguishes between them and the existence of a confirmed warning.

Asked about reports appearing in the Spanish press, the Commission spokesperson for defence, Thomas Regnier, said that the reports did not come as a surprise to Brussels in the broader context of security incidents in Europe. He cited repeated violations of airspace and hybrid attacks against member states, but later clarified that he had not stated that the Commission had received or was aware of the specific alert described in the press.

In brief

1. The Commission says it has seen reports about an alleged warning concerning possible drone attacks against Italy, France or Spain, but does not confirm the existence of the specific alert described in the press.

2. Spokesperson Thomas Regnier stated that European airspace has been tested and violated repeatedly and that several member states are being targeted by hybrid attacks.

3. The Commission links these risks to the development of the European Drone Defence Initiative, European Air Shield and European Space Shield, projects included in the EU's defence preparedness agenda.

4. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto separately stated that the alleged alert reported by El Mundo “has found no confirmation”, thereby disputing the information that Italy had received such a warning.

5. The Commission says that managing a concrete threat primarily falls to national authorities, while the EU can support member states through European security and defence instruments and initiatives.

The question addressed to the Commission stemmed from a report by the Spanish daily El Mundo, according to which US intelligence services had allegedly transmitted information to European governments about the possibility of a Russian drone operation against Spain, France or Italy. Citing anonymous sources, the publication described, among other things, a scenario in which drones could be launched from commercial vessels in the Mediterranean.

These claims have not been publicly confirmed by the European Commission. When a journalist asked whether Brussels was aware of the specific alert, Regnier explicitly corrected the interpretation of his earlier response. He said that he was aware of the reports, not of the alert itself.

The difference is important because the Commission's first response referred to the general security environment. Regnier said that Brussels knows that European airspace is being “tested” and has been violated on several occasions, and mentioned the existence of hybrid attacks targeting member states.

However, the Commission did not attribute these observations to a specific alert for Italy, France and Spain and did not confirm the scenario presented by El Mundo. The spokesperson added that a concrete threat against a member state is, first and foremost, a matter for national authorities.

The Italian position adds a further limitation to the initial report. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto stated that the information concerning possible attacks against Italy, France and Spain “has found no confirmation” and warned against amplifying unverified information in an already tense security context.

At the same time, the Commission placed the drone issue within a broader European strategy. The European Drone Defence Initiative is one of the central projects in the Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030, alongside Eastern Flank Watch, European Air Shield and European Space Shield.

The initiative on defence against drones seeks to develop common detection, identification and countermeasure capabilities, while European Air Shield is designed to cover the full spectrum of air and missile defence. European Space Shield aims to strengthen space capabilities for defence use.

In 2026, the Commission also separately presented a plan concerning drone threats in the field of internal security, which includes detection technologies, counter-drone systems and coordinated response mechanisms. This plan complements the military projects within European defence preparedness.

In the case of the report concerning Italy, France and Spain, however, the situation remains one of disputed information. There are press reports about an alleged American warning, the Commission confirms only that it has seen these reports, and the Italian Defence Minister says that the alert has not been confirmed. Until further official confirmation emerges, these levels of information must be kept distinct.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/news/comisia-nu-confirma-alerta-privind-posibile-atacuri-cu-drone-asupra-italiei-frantei-si-spaniei