Drones can play an important role in critical parts of the economy and society. They allow to reach inaccessible areas, to collect real-time data that are essential for agriculture, construction or energy, to carry out logistics and transport in more efficient ways.
However, in recent years, the EU has faced growing and multi-faceted challenges relating to drones and meteorological balloons, including hostile overflights, airspace violations, disruptions to airports, as well as risks to our critical infrastructure, external borders and public spaces.
To reply to these challenges and to the calls from EU Member States and the European Parliament for a united EU approach against threats posed by malicious drones, the European Commission has presented an EU Action Plan on Drone and Counter Drone Security.
It focuses on the civilian internal security dimension, while complementing and supporting the work carried out in the defence domain by the Commission, and reinforcing civil-military synergies.
The Action Plan is designed to support Member States with practical actions focused on key priorities: enhancing preparedness, boosting detection capacities, coordinating responses and strengthening the EU’s defence readiness.
Prepare: enhancing Europe’s preparedness and resilience against drone incidents
The Action Plan focuses on a new approach to technological development and rapid industrial production ramp-up. The main actions include:
- Investments to scale-up the production of drones and counter drones systems.
- A Drone Security Package in 2026 to improve identification and registration of civilian drones.
- Risks assessments to avoid high risk suppliers with a view to develop a drone and counter drone security toolbox.
- A “EU trusted” drone label to identify secure equipment on the market.
- A Drone and counter drone Industrial Forum will bring together civil and defence stakeholders and providers of technologies.
- A EU counter drone centre of excellence to boost testing capacities.
Detect: boosting capacity to detect malicious drones
Detecting, tracking and identifying malicious drones is crucial to counter drone threats. The Commission puts forward actions to enhance situational picture allowing to differentiate friends from foes.
- The Commission will launch a call for expression of interest to Member States and industry to live test and deploy cellular based detection including using 5G antennas as radars. These 5G networks offer precise, real-time tracking of flying objects.
- Aggregate the data into single air display to better detect malicious drones in the airspace.
- Support the emergence of single air display systems, integrating all relevant data to identify legitimate drones and explore ways to set up an EU drone incident monitoring platform.
Respond: stronger EU cooperation and solidarity
While Member States are primarily responsible for measures to respond to drone threats, the EU can deliver clear added value in supporting these ongoing efforts.
- Launch a Counter Drone deployment initiative to protect critical infrastructure as well as the EU external borders, including a €250 million call for land and maritime border surveillance.
- Develop home grown dual use AI power Command and control systems.
- Launch a feasibility study for an EU level counter drone regulatory framework.
- Explore the establishment of rapid counter drone emergency teams.
- Launch yearly EU-level large-scale drone security exercises.
- Support Frontex in using drones for enhanced border surveillance purposes through joint operations, drone and counter drone pilots and live demos.
Strengthen: Europe’s defence readiness against drone threats
The Action Plan will complement and support Member States in boosting Europe’s military readiness through innovation and industrial cooperation, including in the area of securing a supply of critical raw materials.
- Intensify support to Member States to enhance the European drone and counter drone capability.
- Fast-track new cost-efficient drone and counter drone products and technologies, while accelerating industrialisation for defence-ready technologies.
- Launch the EU Drone Alliance with Ukraine to drive an innovative industrial ecosystem for next-generation drone and counter drone systems.
The Action Plan builds on the 2023 Communication on countering potential threats posed by drones as well as the Drone Strategy 2.0 for the development of a competitive and safe European drone market. It is designed to support Member States through coordinated actions, complementing national measures.