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Europe Today: Europe enters new security era as Spain's government hits new crisis
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen says it's a new era for European security, one of rising hybrid threats. Meanwhile, the Spanish government is in disarray after a leaked report has revealed Morocco's involvement in the Ceuta crisis, and EU affairs ministers discuss the EU budget in Dublin.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/09/03/europe-today-europe-enters-new-security-era-as-spains-government-hits-new-crisis
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EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen says it's a new era for European security, one of rising hybrid threats. Meanwhile, the Spanish government is in disarray after a leaked report has revealed Morocco's involvement in the Ceuta crisis, and EU affairs ministers discuss the EU budget in Dublin.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/09/03/europe-today-europe-enters-new-security-era-as-spains-government-hits-new-crisis
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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00:13Good morning. It is Thursday, the 3rd of September. I'm Maeve McMahan and this is Europe Today.
00:20Your daily dose of European news and analysis, live here on Euronews.
00:25Coming up, the EU must prepare for a, quote, new era of European security.
00:31Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned following crisis talks with the NATO Secretary-General.
00:38Mark Rutte says Russia has grown increasingly reckless in recent months.
00:43We'll bring you the latest with our correspondent, Angela Scudens.
00:47And we'll be live in Dublin, where European affairs ministers are kicking off talks on the EU's long-term budget.
00:56It follows a meeting of foreign ministers dominated by Russia's latest attacks on Ukraine.
01:02We'll hear exclusively from Lithuania's foreign minister, Kestushis Budrys, on what's at stake for the Baltics.
01:08Plus, natural gas prices have spiked to their highest level since 2023, while oil has touched a five-week high.
01:17It comes as renewed hostilities between the US and Iran, with Tehran accusing Washington of war crimes, puts further pressure
01:25on bond markets.
01:26We'll cross live to Doha.
01:28But first, Europe must brace for a new era of security with increased hybrid threats, and allies must prepare to
01:36pay for it.
01:37That's the message coming from EU and NATO chiefs, just hours after Germany formally blamed Russia for an attempted drone
01:44attack at Leipzig airport last month.
01:47We can start by taking a listen to an excerpt of both Ursula von der Leyen and Mark Rutte briefing
01:52the press.
02:21We'll see you next time.
02:29Absolutely.
02:30So it was an unprecedented meeting attended by the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General
02:36Mark Rutte.
02:37They briefed the press prior going into those talks in which they stated that Europe must prepare for an increasingly
02:44reckless Russia.
02:45This is due to the country's continued full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Europe's steadfast support for Kyiv.
02:52But Europe can step up to the plate.
02:54The European Commission says that it can response a rapid response team.
02:58They can deploy that in the instance of hybrid threats occurring in the future.
03:03The EU can also go harder against Russia when it comes to its sanctions packages.
03:07The EU's top diplomat, Kai Kallis, stated yesterday that 1,600 individuals and entities have been proposed to be on
03:15the new blacklist.
03:17These are figures that are responsible for propping up the Kremlin's military industrial complex that EU can also help Ukraine
03:24acquire Patriot Interceptor missiles.
03:27And from Mark Rutte's perspective, he wants the 32 alliance members to make good on their funding pledges, which have
03:34been revised upwards from 2% of GDP to 3.5% of GDP.
03:39Let's bring them in now, shall we?
03:41Let's take a listen to both Mark Rutte and Ursula von der Leyen briefing the press.
03:45Leipzig marks a new escalation on European Union soil directly attributed to Russia.
03:52But it is part of a broader pattern of increasingly dangerous incidents.
03:58Repeated incursions in our airspace, drones that paralyze our airports, interferences with our critical infrastructure.
04:07Europeans are faced with the hard truth that this is the new normal.
04:13We are clear-eyed about how important it is that we work together, including with the European Union, to ensure
04:22we have what we need to address the threats we face.
04:27That means investing more in defence, something allies committed to last year in The Hague.
04:33So when it comes to this working together, we're likely to see more of Mark Rutte here in the EU
04:37quarter, Angela.
04:38But just tell us, how are European leaders thinking that Russia will take this?
04:42And are we seeing a shift, really, in how Europe responds to this threat?
04:45Yeah, absolutely.
04:46So it's important to underscore here first that Germany didn't trigger Article 4 of NATO.
04:51This would require the alliance members meeting to discuss this event.
04:55This is the precursor to Article 5, which is effectively an attack on one, is an attack on all.
05:01Germany didn't do this.
05:02However, the rhetoric surrounding these incidents have certainly shifted, at least on the sidelines.
05:08What we heard before described as hybrid threats, a string of hybrid threats, perhaps we will see in the future
05:14this being described as kinetic all-out warfare.
05:17We're certainly not there yet, as indicated at least from the remarks coming out of Berlin.
05:22But perhaps this could shift, particularly as Russia's attacks through these hybrid warfare incidents on the EU and all-out
05:30warfare on Ukraine show no signs of abating, Maeve.
05:33OK, Angela Scudin, thank you so much for your reporting.
05:36And in this very context of a heightened security climate, European foreign ministers, including the UK, Ukraine and Canada, have
05:43pledged unwavering support and vowed to stay united in the face of Russian aggression.
05:48For more, we can take you now to Dublin City, where our correspondent, Shona Murray, is standing by for us
05:54this morning as European affairs ministers are currently gathering.
05:57Shona, tell us, European leaders have been defiant this week, that they will not be disunited.
06:02What are you hearing there?
06:06That's right, Maeve.
06:07I think that decision on Tuesday by Berlin to formally attribute Russia to that drone attack in Leipzig airport, that
06:13really sharpened the resolve of EU ministers over the past few days, who, remember, were joined by their Canadian, Swiss,
06:20British, Ukrainian, Icelandic counterparts.
06:23And I think one thing that really emerged from that meeting is the consensus that much more needs to be
06:27done to restrict the number of Russians coming into the European Union and all across NATO territory.
06:32Because, remember, it's emerging that potentially one of those responsible for the Leipzig attack came through the European Union, through
06:39Italy, back in April with a tourist visa.
06:42So that really was one of the very much important things that did emerge.
06:45In addition to that, and we heard it from Angela there, we're hearing from Mark Rutte, the NATO Secretary General,
06:50and Kayakalas, the EU foreign policy chief, that the Moscow war aims have not changed.
06:55But Moscow and the Kremlin are becoming more reckless and much more kinetic in their attacks on NATO territory.
07:01So what does all this mean?
07:03Does it mean we are at war with Russia, or is it all going to be below threshold?
07:07Certainly, it's a development, what happened in Berlin.
07:09So with this, I caught up with Kostosius Budras, the Lithuanian foreign affairs minister, and I asked him a little
07:14about Lithuania's position on what this means.
07:18They want to freeze the whole cities in Ukraine and to gain advantage.
07:23And we are part of this picture, because we are the main supporters of Ukraine.
07:27In the Russian calculation, probably, is that if we are divided as the European family, if we are polarized within
07:35our societies, maybe support to Ukraine will decrease, and maybe time will be on their side.
07:42So we also have the responsibility to deny them this projection.
07:46It won't happen.
07:47And we are resilient, and we are strong in it.
07:52And if there is a miscalculation on the Russian side, this is also the message from Lithuania, if there are
07:59casualties in Lithuania, it won't take us a long time to make a distribution, one thing, and also to qualify
08:09it, if it is, as an act of aggression.
08:12It won't be the gray zone.
08:14They need to be aware, basically, that you are willing to trigger Article 4 and then Article 5 of NATO.
08:20Nationally, you know, immediately, because we also have the rights of the sovereign.
08:24What does that mean, then?
08:25So we move to another state or self of our country.
08:30So then we are moving to the self-defense, and then we ask for our allies, for the collective defense,
08:37and then we are moving to absolutely different escalation.
08:40So these operations with explosives in the civilian airport, so it is so close from the huge, huge damage that
08:50can be done and catastrophe.
08:51And I see how on the Russian side, they do not feel any consequences from it.
08:58Are you saying that if Leipzig, the drone with the military-grade explosives, was in Lithuania, for example, that the
09:06Lithuanian government would have responded differently, that you would have said that this is an act of aggression?
09:11That was the plot that was prevented.
09:14So we do not have the damage and the casualties.
09:16Okay, so you're saying if there was a damage, yes.
09:19Yes, if there is the attribution, there is the intention, there is the damage done, and it falls under the
09:26UN-chartered definition, what are the conditions for the self-defense?
09:31Of course we would go for it.
09:32We don't need some working group and some commission to find out that we take time.
09:37No, we will go immediately.
09:39And this is the thing that we have to collectively also make sure Russians, because they are playing here, and
09:47their bets are really high, and it is dangerous for our societies to fall into this trap.
09:54So we had the incidents with explosives already in the Baltic states.
09:58Those were prevented once.
10:00But we also had the attempts to burn a factory, the IKEA shop, the arson operation.
10:07And that was successful.
10:09So the spectrum is really high.
10:12A number of weeks ago, the United States had an assessment that, now we've heard this a lot, okay, but
10:19we were sort of reinforced again a few weeks ago, that there could be a potential attack on NATO territory
10:25by the Kremlin in a bid to unravel NATO somewhat.
10:29That it wouldn't be a full-scale invasion, but some sort of a limited ground invasion.
10:33And what are you hearing about that?
10:35And do you think then, therefore, if you were to trigger something like Article 5, that that could create a
10:41sort of chaos within NATO?
10:43Everything that we do, we consider, we do it with our allies, we coordinate, and we exchange our intelligence and
10:51our knowledge and understanding of the situation.
10:54So I can assure that those pieces of information that are shared publicly among the nations of the region, Baltics,
11:05Nordics, Poland and Germany, and each time U.S. is mentioned, we are possessing the similar information.
11:11We see that there are some options considered on the Russia side, maybe to escalate also within the direction of
11:18NATO.
11:18And we are telling in this way that we are prepared, we know what you are cooking there, and believe
11:23it, it will be then considered within the NATO alliance as activities against all of us.
11:31You think America would stand by you as well, the United States would stand by in the event of an
11:37Article 5 situation?
11:38I have no doubts in Article 5, and politically, militarily, this is the strongest alliance that ever existed on this
11:46earth.
11:47And each day we are working on preventing some things, ensuring what we know, and planning, planning, planning operationally in
11:55purpose to be stronger for the collective defence.
11:58And this is the deterrence, and this is the only reason we are still in peace.
12:04Now, moving on, the Spanish government has been plunged into a new crisis after a leaked police report suggested Moroccan
12:12forces played a role in pushing migrants into Thauta in an unprecedented border violation.
12:17The question of how much Pedro Sánchez's government knew in the eras prior is central to its political survival.
12:24For the latest, we're joined now on set by our Chief Europe Editor, Maria Tadeo.
12:28Maria, some explosive allegations here.
12:30What exactly do we know?
12:31Yes, Maeve, and that is a central question here.
12:34How much did the Spanish government know in the days prior before that illegal border crossing on July 30th, which
12:40ultimately is about national security, and it is about border control, not just Spain, but also the European Union?
12:47Now, as you say, yesterday there was a report, it's 55 pages, from the police that leaked to a number
12:53of media outlets.
12:53This report suggests, contrary to what the Spanish government has argued now, for a month, that Moroccan agents did, in
13:00fact, push migrants along the border.
13:02They were pushed into the sea, and that would happen, and we're seeing those pictures there.
13:06It was not accidental, and it was not a coincidence.
13:09This is a complete contradiction to the narrative of the Spanish government, which has argued this happened, and it was
13:15a tragedy.
13:15150 people died at sea because of social media, because of human traffickers, and this week, of course, the Spanish
13:22prime minister also seemed to indicate that Russia and Israel played a part in amplifying some of this misinformation.
13:28But the Spanish government has not ever pointed the finger at Moroccan authorities.
13:32That report that sent the Spanish political debate really on fire yesterday would totally contradict that.
13:39It also blindsided the government and the interior minister, which did not seem to be aware of the existence of
13:45the report.
13:46It also suggests that there is a battle of leaks really coming out of very sensitive government departments that suggest
13:52they either want to embarrass the government in public,
13:55or there are new elements to the story that has not seen or that have not seen the light of
14:00day.
14:00Now, sources close to the Spanish government, and Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish prime minister, is about to take questions in
14:05parliament in about an hour.
14:07They say, and they believe still, that Morocco is not involved, and they do not believe this report is conclusive,
14:12and the Spanish prime minister will take questions on this matter.
14:15Nonetheless, there is a general sense of molest across the Spanish population.
14:21There were protests yesterday that, nonetheless, this country or this crisis has been badly handled,
14:26that the government is not fully revealing the entire picture, and the opposition repeating that they know more things than
14:32they have let on to the public opinion,
14:35and they've decided to cover it up.
14:37Nonetheless, the Spanish government says, wait for this intervention from the Spanish prime minister in the next hour,
14:42who is today under immense pressure.
14:45Does Pedro Sánchez have a plan?
14:47I mean, the crisis is still continuing.
14:48There's still around 10,000 irregular migrants in Ceuta.
14:50Well, and Maeve, to me, that is the bottom line, because this is a crisis that simply will not let
14:55go, because it has not been resolved.
14:57And you point to 5,000 people who are still in the territory of Ceuta.
15:03Half of them are understood to be minors.
15:05The local authorities say that number is probably double, so closer to 10,000 people.
15:09This is a very small territory.
15:11So you see there's a pressure cooker effect.
15:14We've seen tensions between the locals and the migrants.
15:16There's a concern of violence.
15:18The local authorities said yesterday this city is really at breaking point, but the Spanish government has not been able
15:23to offer a solution yet.
15:25Because some of them are migrants, so there are very strict laws about what you do with underage migrants.
15:30They have fundamental rights.
15:31You cannot just, excuse my language, but bundle people and send them back.
15:35The Spanish government also said that they would not send them over into the mainland and impact Schengen in the
15:41European Union.
15:42So that's failed to provide relief.
15:43And there is also a political deadlock between the conservative authorities in the city and the Spanish government over what
15:50to do.
15:50All of this is leading to big delays on the bureaucracy in terms of identifying who are these migrants stranded
15:57and, at some point, how to return them.
15:59Because the Spanish government continues to say they will have to return.
16:03Well, we keep, of course, a very close eye on that story and bring all the latest from that conference.
16:07Thank you so much, Maria Sadeo, for bringing us all those details.
16:10And now to another development being watched very closely here in Brussels.
16:14The U.S. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is ready to strike Iran at, quote, any time.
16:20But he does not expect the latest flare-up to continue too long.
16:24In the meantime, Iran has accused Washington of committing war crimes after four civilians were killed and dozens injured in
16:31a reported U.S. strike in a wedding.
16:33For the latest, we can go straight to Doha and bring in our regional correspondent, Leila Humarai.
16:38Leila, just tell us how serious is this latest escalation and how is the region there reading into it?
16:47Good morning, Maeve.
16:48That's right, in the last 24 to 48 hours, the U.S. and Iran have exchanged a new round of
16:53hostilities in the form of airstrikes, missiles and drone attacks.
16:58Now, Tehran retaliated against Washington's strikes on its very strategic Karg Island assets by targeting U.S. bases in Jordan,
17:08Bahrain and Kuwait.
17:10Now, in this region, GCC nations and leaders have been very clear that they cannot continue living in this war.
17:17Because each new wave of strikes leaves a lasting impact on the communities, the residents and the economies in this
17:24region.
17:24And Qatar, here for its part, has vowed to continue mediating negotiations to find a peaceful resolution.
17:31And, of course, this is all happening in the backdrop of the continued standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, the
17:38central flashpoint in this conflict.
17:40U.S. has many times warned Iran that it will not tolerate a military buildup in the south, which will
17:46threaten the Strait of Hormuz.
17:48Both countries have said that they are both in control of the Strait of Hormuz and that it has reopened
17:53in certain conditions.
17:55But we see that the data from the traffic flow is just not yet near, not anywhere near, pre-conflict
18:02flows.
18:02Now, to add another spanner in the works, overnight U.S. President Donald Trump suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz
18:10on True Social.
18:11He posted, and I quote, now that we have it under USA control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait
18:17to Trump Strait?
18:18Like America itself, it would be hotter than ever before.
18:22Now, clearly, this indicates that Donald Trump believes that the U.S. has control of the Strait of Hormuz.
18:28But as I said earlier, that's just not translating to what is happening in those waters right now.
18:33OK. Laila Humoray, thank you so much for that live broadcast there from Doha.
18:39And for more news and analysis on any of the stories we're covering here, including the breaking news that a
18:44Maltese tycoon has been acquitted of charges linked to the murder of the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galicia,
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19:05But for now, that brings this edition to an end.
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