Chamber of Deputies approves bill allowing Romania to shoot down unauthorized drones

The Chamber of Deputies has passed a bill that expands and regulates measures for controlling the use of national airspace, including drones and other aerial vehicles. The legislation, adopted on Wednesday, February 19, allows unauthorized drones to be shot down if they breach Romanian airspace, a measure that was not previously possible as Romania is not at war.

The initiative, proposed by the Ministry of Defense, was approved with 196 votes in favor, 99 against, and two abstentions, according to Digi24.

The bill now moves to the Senate for a final vote before requiring promulgation by interim president Ilie Bolojan to take effect.

The new law would establish clear procedures for countering unauthorized aerial vehicles, allowing both national and allied air defense systems to take action in accordance with collective defense treaties. The Ministry of Defense first introduced the proposal for public debate on October 28, 2024.

Under the new rules, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) crossing Romania’s borders illegally and flying in national airspace without authorization could be shot down if military forces cannot take control of them.

The bill outlines multiple scenarios in which an aircraft - manned or unmanned - would be deemed as "unauthorized," including deviating from its designated flight path, flying in restricted areas, disabling identification systems, conducting unauthorized aerial photography, or posing an imminent threat to military operations, Digi24 reported.

The legislation specifies two types of countermeasures. Non-kinetic actions involve detecting, taking control of, or neutralizing drones by disabling their command and communication systems. Kinetic measures include physically immobilizing or destroying UAVs.

The authority to order a shoot-down would rest with decision-makers designated by the Supreme Council of National Defense.

The anti-drone law comes after repeated breaches of the Romanian airspace by drones most likely used by Russia during its attacks on Ukrainian targets along the Black Sea and Danube River. Russian drone fragments have been found several times on Romanian territory.

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