Niedersachsen and Bremen are advocating for a special session of the Interior Ministers Conference (IMK) to address the hybrid threat posed by drones. According to a report by the Tagesspiegel, this request was made via a joint letter to Hamburg IMK Chairman Andy Grote (SPD).
Following a recent emergency meeting on Thursday concerning the situation in Leipzig, Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD) from Lower Saxony and Senator Eva Högl (SPD) from Bremen urged that the ongoing discussions be continued and deepened, insisting on an “urgent” invitation for such a meeting.
The letter stated that it is a top priority, from their perspective, to continue the discussion about the complex state of drone defense in Germany during a focused event. The incident in Leipzig, specifically, highlighted a “new dimension” of the threat to public safety and critical infrastructure in Germany posed by the illicit use of unmanned aerial vehicles.
The two ministers highlighted numerous unresolved issues concerning the coordination between state and federal agencies, the protection of critical infrastructure, and the equipping of transport airports with drone defense technology. Furthermore, they pointed out that the protection of seaports has not yet been adequately addressed overall.
Given the dynamic nature of the situation, insights gained within the context of the Joint Drone Defense Center must be quickly translated into practical action. They need to be converted into harmonized procedures and legally secure actions. For the necessary further coordination, a cross-federal and state alignment within the IMK is required-an alignment that cannot wait until the next scheduled meeting.
