European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has urged the European Union to create a new security mechanism modeled after NATO’s structure to address growing concerns over hybrid threats, such as drone attacks, sabotage, and cyberattacks. Many of these incidents have been linked to Russia. Von der Leyen called for the development of a "counter-hybrid playbook" and a unified approach to responding to threats that do not reach the level of open warfare but still pose serious risks to national security. Recent reports have pointed to Russian involvement in a series of incidents across several European countries. Officials in Germany, Denmark, and Poland have accused Russia of conducting drone attacks, sabotaging infrastructure, setting fires, and surveilling military installations. There have also been allegations that Russia planned to use a drone loaded with explosives to target an airport. Earlier this week, Italian fighter jets supported by NATO shot down a drone over Lithuania, an EU member state, marking the first time a drone has been intercepted in EU airspace. The drone was believed to have entered from Belarus, a close ally of Russia. Von der Leyen proposed that the EU’s new security mechanism should function similarly to Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty. This provision allows member countries to request emergency consultations if they feel their territory is under threat. Under the proposed EU system, if one member state triggers the mechanism, all EU countries would coordinate a unified response to deter further aggression and reduce the risk of escalation. This approach would differ from NATO’s Article 5, which triggers collective defense measures when a member is attacked. In addition to the new security framework, von der Leyen mentioned plans for the European Commission to propose the creation of a European Security Council. This body would include international partners such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, and Ukraine. However, no specific details about the council’s structure or responsibilities were provided at this time.