The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group in the European Parliament has urged the EU to accelerate drone and counter-drone production for deterrence purposes.
The ECR welcomed in a statement on Thursday the European Parliament's decision to back the call for the EU to increase production of drones and systems designed to stop them.
The ECR said an “initiative report” on an EU drone and counter-drone strategy was adopted by an “overwhelming majority” of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
Reinis Pozņaks, an ECR MEP who the group said acted as rapporteur — the lawmaker leading work on the report — said Europe should prepare for “mass drone attacks” and make targeted use of existing EU tools to counter the threat.
“Drones will become more accessible, cheaper, and more technologically advanced,” Pozņaks said, adding they would be used by both states and organisations “including hostile ones."
He said the report had support from “virtually all political groups”, and that documents in the European Parliament “rarely receive close to 90% political support.”
What the report calls for
The report calls for building a “resilient” European drone industry and speeding up joint procurement, the ECR said. Joint procurement refers to EU countries buying equipment together rather than separately.
It also calls for integrating drone and counter-drone systems “across all defence levels”, strengthening civil-defence preparedness and protecting critical infrastructure, and deepening EU – NATO coordination on standards and operations, according to the statement.
The report was produced after more than a year of work and drew on input including “practical experience from frontline drone operators” and visits to research and production facilities, the ECR said.
Pozņaks said drones were already influencing military security and civil protection, and that Europe needed to act “in a unified manner”, according to the organisation.
