Ben Pantrey - Writings

  European Commission Midday Press Briefing 24.02.2026 Daily News  &  VOD   Announcements   4th anniversary of  RU ’s full scale invasion of  UA .  Joint statement from VdL, Costa and  Metsola .  VdL is in Kyiv today. Press conference w/ VdL, Costa and Zelensky this afternoon. President’s agenda : Thursday afternoon, back from  UA , VdL will receive  EE ,  LV  and  LT   PMs in the Berlaymont. College meeting will exceptionally take place on Thursday. Debate on  28th Regime, AKA EU Inc . Adoption of new agenda to prevent and counter terrorism. Adoption of proposal for directive on  combating firearms trafficking  and other related offences. EVP  Virkkunen  and Commissioner  Brunner  will hold the college readout and present the agenda and proposal in the press room after the college meeting. Commissioners to adopt common response to the  ECI “My Voice, My Choice” ....

  11.02.2026 EC press conference by EVP Henna  VIRKKUNEN  and ECs Magnus  BRUNNER  and Apostolos  TZITZIKOSTAS  on the action plan on drone security and counter-drone security   Press release   |  Remarks by the EVP/ECs  |  VOD  |  Daily News   Main points of the action plan:   Action plan cuts across silos: civilian and military, national and European, public and private. Coordinates across different sectors, authorities and borders.  Action plan is a response to calls from MS and the EP to have a united response. Aims to assist MS to  cooperate and reinforce national measures . Improves our preparedness, strengthens our detection and enhances our collective response and defence readiness. Preparedness:  For  LT  and other MS facing hybrid attacks from meteorological balloons launched from outside the EU, we will launch a call for interest to the private sector, especially to startu...