The European Commission has hosted the first meeting of the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance, an industry-led group intended to support drone and counter-drone development and production in Europe and Ukraine.
The Commission described the Alliance in a statement on Friday as a partnership platform focused on speeding up the development and manufacturing of next-generation drones and systems designed to stop or disable them.
It said the Alliance has 18 founding members, including manufacturers, innovators, start-ups and scale-ups from EU member states, European Economic Area countries in the European Free Trade Association (EEA EFTA) and Ukraine.
Andrius Kubilius, the European Commissioner for Defence and Space, stated European airspace had faced “repeated drone violations” over airports, military sites and critical infrastructure, while the same threat was a daily reality in Ukraine.
“We need design cycles in weeks, not months, and countermeasures that keep pace,” Kubilius said, adding that the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance would address gaps in speed and industrial capacity.
Linked to wider EU-Ukraine defence plans
The Alliance was launched during the third EU-Ukraine Defence Industry Forum in Kyiv and is described by the Commission as a first step in implementing the “EU-Ukraine Drone Deal”.
The Drone Deal was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 15 July as part of the EU — Ukraine Defence Industrial Pact.
The founding members will now take forward the activities agreed by the Alliance, and information on how additional organisations can join as general members or public partners will be published on the Commission’s website before a second board meeting.
