Top court clears law allowing Romanian Army to shoot down unauthorized drones

The Constitutional Court (CCR) has ruled that the Army has the authority to shoot down drones that fly unauthorized in Romania's airspace, rejecting challenges from extremist parties AUR, POT, and SOS against the airspace control law.

The court unanimously dismissed claims that the law was unconstitutional, stating that Romania's NATO membership entails shared defense responsibilities that do not infringe on national sovereignty, according to Biziday.ro.

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, which passed it in February this year. 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.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, several drones have entered Romania's airspace, prompting Ro-Alert warnings in Tulcea and Galați. Until now, authorities were unable to take action due to legal constraints. Some drones left the airspace undisturbed, while others crashed or exploded upon impact.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)