BRUSSELS
The European Commission on Wednesday presented an action plan aimed at countering the 'growing security threats' posed by drones, citing increasing incidents such as hostile overflights, airspace violations, airport disruptions and risks to critical infrastructure across the EU.
In a statement, the EU Commission said the plan responds to calls from EU member states and the European Parliament for a coordinated EU-wide approach to malicious drone activity, focusing on civilian internal security while complementing defense efforts and strengthening civil-military cooperation.
The plan is structured around key priorities, including enhancing preparedness, improving detection capabilities, coordinating responses and strengthening Europe's defense readiness.
It also seeks to support the development of a competitive European drone market by promoting innovation, industrial growth and job creation.
To boost preparedness, the EU Commission announced plans for coordinated civil-military industrial mapping, the establishment of an EU Counter-Drone Centre of Excellence, and the development of a certification scheme for counter-drone systems.
The commission will additionally propose a Drone Security Package to update existing rules on civilian drones, including a coordinated risk assessment of drone supply chains and the introduction of an "EU Trusted Drone" label to identify secure equipment.
On detection, the plan emphasizes the use of advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence and multi-sensor systems, as well as the urgent deployment of 5G networks to track and identify drones, including swarms.
The EU Commission said it will launch a call for expressions of interest to support live testing and rapid deployment of 5G-based detection systems.
To reinforce responses, the EU plans joint procurement initiatives for counter-drone systems, support for European AI-powered command-and-control technologies, and the possible creation of rapid counter-drone emergency response teams.
A large-scale EU counter-drone exercise is also proposed to test cross-border cooperation and civil-military coordination.
The plan also contributes to strengthening Europe’s defense readiness through industrial cooperation and innovation, including closer collaboration with Ukraine under the "Drone Alliance."
Next steps include discussions with member states based on co-ownership of the initiative, close cooperation with industry and the European Parliament, and consideration of appointing national drone security coordinators to oversee implementation.