Italy considers moves to bolster national security after von der Leyen incident.
Italy is considering classifying flight data for state aircraft after the navigation system of a plane carrying European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen was disrupted.
The GPS jamming incident happened while von der Leyen was due to arrive in southern Bulgaria on Sunday, with pilots forced to use paper maps before landing safely.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said investigators suspected Russian interference however the Kremlin has denied any involvement.
The Italian government is also cautious about blaming Russia for the attack.
“I don’t see the Russian Federation bringing down von der Leyen’s plane, but rather carrying out attacks on banks, public systems, airports and energy production”, defence minister Guido Crosetto said in an interview on TV programme Quarta Repubblica, adding: “I don’t think targeting such a high political level is part of the Russian strategy”.
The von der Leyen incident has intensified awareness of emerging electronic warfare threats, prompting Italy and other countries to rethink current aviation transparency.
Crosetto has proposed measures to limit the traceability of official travel, such as reducing the information published on the government website, according to Italian media reports.
Other measures reportedly being considered include removing data about ministers’ flights from public tracking platforms and revising standards that mandate full disclosure of political movements.
Also under scrutiny is a 2011 decree obliging ministers’ flight information to be published on the Italian government website, barring exceptions justified by “reasons of state”.
NATO secretary general Mark Rutte condemned the jamming incident and affirmed ongoing collaborative efforts among EU countries to prevent such threats from destabilising official travel.
