EU Ministers Prioritise Eastern Flank Drone Wall

A series of recent airspace incursions and airport disruptions affected Denmark, Poland, Estonia and Romania, prompting European defence ministers from about ten countries to prioritise building a multilayered “drone wall” along the EU’s eastern flank. Championed by EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius with Ukraine participating and NATO as an observer, the plan focuses first on a detection network—radars, acoustic and radio‑frequency sensors, infrared cameras and AI tracking—with interception via electronic‑warfare or kinetic options to follow. Officials said the detection layer could be deployable within roughly a year and that costs are likely in the several‑billion‑euro range (estimated €3–7bn), with technical and funding details to be developed in a forthcoming roadmap. The project, framed as an “Eastern Flank Watch,” aims to create a cross‑border, cost‑effective defence ecosystem drawing on Ukrainian and Baltic drone‑defence experience. Ministers warned the incursions test EU and NATO resolve and agreed to move from concept to concrete actions to protect critical infrastructure and aviation, while Moscow denies responsibility for the incidents.