Italy mulls classifying state flights’ paths after jamming of EU chief’s plane
Italy is considering keeping state flights secret after the satellite signal of a plane carrying EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was allegedly jammed by Russia last weekend, according to a report from La Repubblica.
Von der Leyen, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was flying to Plovdiv, Bulgaria, on Sunday when her plane lost satellite navigation aids, forcing pilots to use paper maps to land.
EU commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta told reporters on Monday that Bulgarian authorities believed the jamming to be a case of “blatant interference” by Moscow.
The incident has since sparked debates on how to make EU leaders’ flights more secure amid an increase in GPS jamming and “spoofing” tactics following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
La Repubblica said on Tuesday that Italy’s defence ministry was weighing plans to classify state flights, minimise public information about ministers’ travel plans, and prevent tracking sites from making aircraft paths visible.
A 2011 decree requires that information on Italian ministers’ travels be published on the government website.
Anonymous defence ministry sources cited by La Repubblica said the government was planning to override this obligation by citing “state secrecy” in connection with “national interests”.
Italy to exit EU's excess deficit procedure ‘soon’: European Central Bank
Italy will soon leave the European Union's excessive deficit procedure as it’s close to bringing its budget shortfall to 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said on Monday.
The EU’s excessive deficit procedure restricts member states' room for manoeuvre on spending, as it obliges them to reduce their fiscal gap by a set amount each year until it falls to 3 percent or below of GDP.
"Italy is making very serious budgetary efforts today and will probably exit from [the procedure], getting soon to a deficit of 3 percent," Lagarde said in an interview with France’s Radio Classique.
Italian Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said in July that Italy could bring its deficit below 3 percent of GDP at some point in 2025, paving the way for the country to exit the EU procedure in 2026.
The government is due to update its 2025 growth and deficit forecasts this month under the Economy and Finance Document (DEF).
EU defence spending to hit €381 billion in 2025
EU countries will spend €381 billion on defence in 2025, up by 10 percent against last year, the European Defence Agency (EDA) said on Tuesday, according to AFP.
The announcement came as European members of NATO continued to ramp up defence investments after agreeing to increase military expenditure to 5 percent of GDP by 2035.
"Europe is spending record amounts on defence to keep our people safe, and we will not stop there," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters on Tuesday.
The European Commission reported last week that 19 out of 27 EU member states had applied for a multi-billion-euro loan scheme intended to help the bloc boost defence spending.
First approved in May, the scheme enables member nations to get competitively priced, long-maturity loans for investments in defence capabilities.
The ongoing increase in European defence spending comes as Western intelligence services warn that Moscow could pose a military threat to NATO member states within five years.
Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said in early July that there were “no signs of conversion of Russian military production to civilian purposes, not even in the event of a ceasefire" in the war in Ukraine.
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