Background:
On March 4, 2015, Benelux countries signed an agreement to share surveillance and protection of their air spaces. Starting from 2017, Belgian and Dutch air forces will take turn to monitor the Benelux airspace. The agreement is a novelty in European defence policy because it is the first time countries agreed that a foreign air force may operate and potentially shoot down a civilian plane over its territory.
Two months later, Ministers of Defence from Visegrad countries (Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary) reached preliminary agreement on similar cooperation in the Central European region. Unlike in Benelux, the agreement only defined a joint vision. Concrete time framework and details of the cooperation are to be negotiated.
8. The agreement on
the joint air policing
S followed a letter of intent
signed in October 2013
S signed by the Netherlands,
Belgium and Luxemburg on
March 4, 2015
12. Renegade
“… terrorism is considered to be the most
serious threat to air transport. Many agree that
this threat is real, persistent, evolving,
sophisticated and hardly predictable. Terrorists
use asymmetric methods which are difficult to
reveal and defend against them” – Schóber e.a.
Possibilities of countering the air threat and prevention against it. Management and Socio-Humanities, 2012.
13. S Belgium has been a pioneer for
multiple years in this field
S 2004 – invitation to neighbours
S 2005 – bilateral with France
S Germany? UK?
Renegade
15. S Dilemma that each country
must face:
Will we ultimately shoot down a
civilian airplane to save civilians
on the ground?
Ethical discussion on
Renegade
20. Vision on a
European army
S Cfr. Czech Minister of Defence
at ALDE: do we act on
intergovernmental or
supranational principles?
S Benelux as inspiration for
European integration