Drone dossier on the table of the European Council: how it intertwines with the Eastern flank surveillance
The two initiatives should be launched in the first quarter of 2026, benefiting from the European programmes Edip and Safe
Key points
Sul tavolo del Consiglio europeo, giovedì 23 e venerdì 24 ottobre a Bruxelles, approdano due macro dossier che, sul piano del rafforzamento della difesa europea, sono strettamente intrecciati. Si tratta di “progetti flagship”, “progetti di punta”. Da una parte l’Iniziativa sui droni (European Drone Defence Initiative); dall’altra la Sorveglianza del fronte orientale (Eastern Flank Watch). In comune, come spiega il dossier predisposto dagli uffici studi di Camera e Senato in vista del vertice, hanno una caratteristica: entrambi hanno un carattere trasversale e un rilievo che non si limita alla difesa in senso stretto, perché possono essere impiegati anche per altri scopi, come la protezione delle infrastrutture critiche e il controllo delle frontiere. Entrambi sono aperti a tutti i 27 Stati Ue che intendono parteciparvi.
I roles
States remain the main actors in these initiatives: they have the task of deciding objectives, distributing roles and allocating resources. The Commission acts as the 'facilitator', with the function of ensuring technical assistance, the availability of common funds and the overall coherence of the different strands of work. Finally, the High Representative has the task of ensuring that projects support the strengthening of common capabilities in priority areas and are consistent with NATO military plans.
Drone Initiative and Surveillance on the Eastern Front
The two projects are particularly interconnected. The EuropeanDrone Defence Initiative will be designed - reads the Roadmap for the implementation of the 'Readiness 20230' plan approved by the European Commission and High Representative on 16 October - as a multi-layered system with interoperable capabilities for drone detection, tracking and neutralisation, but also with the ability to strike ground targets by exploiting drone technology for precision strikes. The anti-drone capability will have to be fully interoperable and interconnected among member states, ensuring European situational awareness and the ability to act jointly and protect critical infrastructure together with NATO. The
Where are we with the drone initiative
On 26 September, the first technical meeting on the initiative was held, convened by Defence Commissioner Kubilius, also following repeated incidents of violations of allied airspace, with the ministers of the seven countries on the EU's eastern flank (Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria), plus Denmark, Ukraine and NATO.
The roadmap
The two initiatives are expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2026, using the European programmes Edip and Safe. Full functionality of the drone initiative is set for the end of 2027, while the broader eastern surveillance project is expected to be operational by the end of 2028.
