European Commission unveils plans for 'drone wall'

2025-10-16 15:12:23, Kosova & Bota CNA

The European Union's executive body approved a five-year defense plan on Thursday, which includes the construction of a "drone wall" that is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2027.

"Our goal is to strengthen our defense capabilities to deter aggression," EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said during a conference in Brussels.

According to the European Commission's plan, Russia and Belarus pose the "biggest threat", citing repeated violations of EU member states' airspace by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones.

“This ‘European drone wall’ should build on the lessons learned from Ukraine on the great importance of creating innovative drone and counter-drone ecosystems, linking defense development with production, and relying on scalable production capacities and continuous technological development,” the document states.

The proposals, which will be presented to EU leaders for approval next week, come amid fierce discussions about Europe's vulnerability, which were sparked by the entry of 21 Russian drones into Poland in early September.

This incident, along with Russian drone flights over Romania and the violation of Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets, led to the launch of NATO's "Eastern Guard" initiative to strengthen air defense.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Shakaliene told REL's Ukrainian Service that these Russian violations "have helped a lot" in creating a sense of urgency.

"When more and more NATO allies see how dangerous Russia is and how unpredictable the situation in our skies is becoming, this accelerates processes - both in financing our defense and in supporting Ukraine," she said.

Sweden's Defense Minister, Pál Jonsson, told REL that the Russian incidents were "a wake-up call" for Europe.

"We have a lot to learn from the Ukrainian side and we would be grateful if we could also buy from Ukraine in the defense industry, as they have been exceptional in increasing production," he said.

The European drone initiative is just one part of a broader package called the “Peacekeeping – Defense Readiness Plan 2030,” which also includes plans to use frozen Russian assets to regularly finance Ukraine, steps to advance joint military procurement, and a “military mobility package” aimed at facilitating the faster movement of troops and equipment across Europe.

Kubilius said the plan also includes developing long-range missile strike capabilities.

"In Europe we are not producing enough of these, so we need to develop the production of these weapons. In the meantime, we will continue to buy them from our transatlantic partners," he added.

The document underlines NATO's central role in defending Europe, but also emphasizes the need for the continent to develop independent capabilities in the coming years.

"By 2030, Europe must have a defensive position strong enough to deter its adversaries," the plan says. "To be 'ready for 2030,' Europe must act now."

However, some officials believe that this timeline is not urgent enough. On October 13, the head of Germany's foreign intelligence service, Martin Jaeger, told a parliamentary committee in Berlin that "we are already facing fire."

"We should not sit idly by and assume that a possible Russian attack will not occur before 2029," Jaeger warned.

"At best, there is currently a cold peace in Europe, which could turn into hot confrontation at any moment," he added.

The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said that Russia will remain a threat even if the war in Ukraine ends.

"The danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends. It is clear that we need to strengthen our defenses against Russia," she said./REL