Greek lawmaker Yiannis Maniatis has submitted a formal question to the European Commission demanding sanctions against Turkey following a prolonged Turkish drone flight near the northeastern port city of Alexandroupoli.
Maniatis, who serves as vice-president of the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament and leads the delegation for the PASOK party, called on the executive body of the European Union to take concrete action to reinforce Europe's southern borders.
The action was prompted by an incident on Friday, 28 August, when a Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle carried out a multi-hour flight in the Thracian Sea. Maniatis stated that the drone executed an extended flight in the area close to Alexandroupoli airport and near the island of Samothrace.
Alexandroupoli is a strategic port city in northeastern Greece located near the land border with Turkey, while Samothrace is a Greek island situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The Thracian Sea forms the northernmost portion of the Aegean region, where aerial and maritime boundaries have long been a source of bilateral tension between the two NATO allies.
Escalating airspace violations in the Aegean
Maniatis described the drone flight as a dangerous violation and part of a broader pattern of escalating Turkish provocations in the region. He noted that violations of Greek airspace by Turkish aircraft have surged significantly in 2026.
According to figures cited in his question, Greek airspace violations by Turkish aircraft surpassed 247 by July of this year. By comparison, Greece recorded a total of 225 airspace violations throughout the whole of 2025.
The lawmaker also highlighted a major escalation earlier in the month. On 18 August, Greek authorities recorded 25 separate violations of national airspace in a single day, an event that culminated in an engagement between armed Greek and Turkish F-16 fighter jets.
Requests for EU border monitoring and sanctions
In light of the increasing frequency of incursions, Maniatis formally requested that the European Commission outline what steps it will take to protect Greek sovereign rights. He specifically asked whether potential sanctions against Turkey would be introduced to counter Turkish aggressiveness.
Furthermore, Maniatis inquired whether the European Union would propose establishing a Southern Borders Observatory, similar to the monitoring mechanism planned for the eastern borders, that would cover airspace violations. Alternatively, he asked whether the EU would extend the application of the Eastern Flank Watch to include Greece.
PASOK, or the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, is Greece's main center-left political party, while the Socialists and Democrats represent the second-largest political group within the European Parliament. The European Commission is responsible for proposing legislation and implementing EU policies, including oversight of external border security initiatives.
