The Parliament has voted in favor of the new bill permitting the Romanian Army to shoot down drones that fly unauthorized in Romania’s airspace. The legislation now moves to acting president Ilie Bolojan for promulgation.

Last week, the Chamber of Deputies approved the law as the first chamber to be consulted, followed by final approval from the Senate on February 26, Biziday.ro reported.

Once promulgated by the interim president, the law will come into effect.

The new law, which regulates intervention procedures for drones that enter Romania’s airspace during peacetime, was adopted by the government in mid-December and then sent to Parliament. It was initiated in response to numerous incidents involving drones or drone fragments, many believed to be of Russian origin, entering Romanian airspace amid attacks on neighboring Ukraine.

Under the new law, the military will be allowed to take several measures in response to these threats, including controlling the flight of the drone, neutralizing it by disabling its command and control functions, or, as a last resort, destroying it. These actions will be taken based on the level of threat, in accordance with international law, and with priority given to protecting human life, the document says.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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