Germany has granted federal authorities the power to shoot down drones following recent sightings of unidentified drones near Munich.
The government’s cabinet approved a reform package on Wednesday, which now awaits final approval from the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament. The decision follows incidents at Munich Airport last week, where drone sightings forced air traffic control to halt operations, disrupting thousands of flights.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized the security threat posed by the drones, saying, “Drone incidents threaten our safety.” The new rules will strengthen federal police authority to detect and intercept unauthorized drones more quickly. Germany now joins Britain, France, Romania, and Lithuania in granting law enforcement similar powers.
Officials across Europe have reported increased drone activity, including Denmark, Lithuania, Finland, Estonia, Poland, and Romania, causing air traffic disruptions in recent weeks. While some EU leaders have suggested Russia could be responsible, Moscow has denied involvement. The wave of incidents follows a similar pattern of unexplained drone flights earlier this year in the United States.
In a related development, authorities reported that Russian drones struck a Ukrainian thermal power plant overnight, causing significant damage amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and escalating tensions across eastern Europe.
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