The European Commission (EC) has proposed that, as of 2028, the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) would support the development and deployment of European civilian, dual-use and defence drone and counter-drone solutions.
The EC is also currently exploring whether (and how) to provide additional funding to support Member States on counter-drone civilian security capabilities, through a call for a Specific Action to support border surveillance, including drones and counter-drones, for a total amount of EUR 250 million from the European Union’s Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI). The call, which may feature joint procurement options, is yet to be officially confirmed but an EU Council document dated November 11 seen by Unmanned Airspace Info states that it could be launched between the end of the year and early 2026. Finnish newspaper Kauppalehti has reported that it has received confirmation of the fund from Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the EC.
The ECF and potential BMVI initiatives are among a number of joint European efforts that aim to collectively protect the continent from rogue drones as the number of incursions into European airspace, including that of airports and airfields, increases.
In collaboration with national European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG) authorities, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency – Frontex organised a counter-uncrewed aerial systems solutions prize contest and is expected to announce the winner within days. Elsewhere, Europol’s Innovation Lab is finalising a report on the use of drones, how they impact law enforcement activities and the capabilities to defend them.
2025 has also been the year of the drone wall, at least in theory. NATO allies have made several calls and proposals for such a system to protect against an increase of drones that they say originate from Russia, and Ukraine has offered its battle-earned expertise. In October, the EC announced a set of initial pan-European defence readiness ‘flagships’ including the European Drone Defence Initiative and the Eastern Flank Watch.
“Recent repeated violations of the airspace of EU Member States have shown the urgency of creating a flexible, agile and state of the art European capability to counter unmanned aerial vehicles,” the EC said in October. “While the Eastern border Member States face the greatest direct threat from Russia and Belarus, such a threat can reach any Member State, as shown by recent incidents.”
Building on lessons learned from Ukraine, the European Drone Defence Initiative will be designed as a multilayered system with interoperable counter-drone capabilities for detection, tracking and neutralisation as well as capabilities to hit ground targets by leveraging drone technology for precision strikes. The intention is that it should be fully interoperable and connected among Member States providing European situational awareness and ability to act together and secure critical infrastructure together with NATO. The initiative will be linked to the proposed Drone Alliance with Ukraine and the counter-drone network will be designed to be adaptable for civ-mil and dual use purposes and help deal with non-defence related threats or other hazards common to every EU border. This includes border protection, weaponisation of migration, protection of critical infrastructure and transnational organised crime.
Counter-drone capabilities will also form a core component of the Eastern Flank Watch flagship, which aims to build-up the capacity of Member States on the Eastern border to face a wide range of threats.
An upcoming meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council on December 8 will consider these and other initiatives and discuss EU-level action on countering malicious drones. Thought will need to be given to harmonisation as well as the methods used and risks posed. For example, while an effective drone wall or dome may protect against aircraft originating from outside the EU, some of the incursions witnessed by critical infrastructure sites have involved drones flown from within the country.
While decisions still need to be made, Europe’s strong cooperation on drone defence this year, particularly in recent months, is a step in the right direction.
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