The European Commission has held the second board meeting of the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance in Brussels, bringing together industry and armed forces to work on drone and counter-drone systems.
The alliance was launched during the third EU-Ukraine Defence Industry Forum in Kyiv and is described as an industry-led initiative, the Commission noted in its statement on Tuesday.
It has 18 founding members, including manufacturers, innovators, start-ups and scale-ups from EU member states, EEA-EFTA countries and Ukraine, working in coordination with armed forces.
The group is focused on speeding up the development and production of next-generation drones and “counter-drone” systems — equipment designed to detect, disrupt or stop drones.
Working groups to begin after terms agreed
Members discussed governance and priorities for industrial collaboration, regulatory issues, supply chain resilience, innovation and how to integrate drone defence systems, the Commission said.
The meeting also covered new battlefield doctrines and links with EDPCIs.
The alliance is described as a first step in implementing the EU-Ukraine Drone Deal announced in July and as contributing to the EU–Ukraine Defence Industrial Pact. The board first met in September.
Terms of reference were adopted at the Brussels meeting, after which working groups are expected to begin their first activities in the coming months.
Information on how to join as general members or public partners will be published on the Commission’s website after the meeting, it said, adding that the board’s third meeting is scheduled for early 2027.
