BRUSSELS — The European Commission plans to expand its proposed “drone wall” on the EU’s eastern flank into a continent-wide scheme, rebranded the European Drone Defence Initiative, according to officials briefed on the draft.

The move is set to appear in a defence readiness roadmap due for publication on Thursday, and follows concerns from southern and western member states that they were omitted from the original concept.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen floated the “drone wall” after a series of incidents in which nearly 20 Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace during large-scale strikes on Ukraine. Warsaw, supported by allied aircraft, responded by shooting down several objects and raising consultations under NATO’s Article 4. Those events sharpened debate in EU capitals over airspace protection, civil aviation risk and the adequacy of current counter-drone tools.

Under the broader initiative, Brussels aims to coordinate a layered network of sensors, electronic warfare jammers and kinetic effectors positioned across the Union, rather than only along the Baltic–Black Sea axis. The draft roadmap is expected to set out funding avenues, procurement pathways and timelines, with an emphasis on interoperability and common standards to avoid fragmented national deployments. While the full text has not been released, officials say the plan’s scope is intended to address drone threats ranging from hostile state activity to criminal misuse near airports and critical infrastructure.

Eastern member states welcomed the original flank-focused concept when it was announced, citing proximity to Russia and Belarus. But governments in the south and west pressed for coverage that reflects rising drone incidents at airports, ports and energy facilities far from the eastern front. Germany, for example, has moved to authorise police to neutralise rogue drones using firearms, lasers or signal jamming—a domestic measure that illustrates how national responses are proliferating in the absence of a single EU architecture.

European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius signalled the shift in scope at a defence conference in Brussels on Tuesday, referring to both the “drone wall” and the wider European Drone Defence Initiative. His recent public interventions have framed counter-UAS measures as a flagship priority alongside efforts to raise readiness by 2030. The European Parliament has also referenced the “drone wall” in recent texts concerning capability coalitions and interoperability, indicating broad political support for enhanced airspace protection, though the centre of gravity is moving toward a union-wide design.

The operational rationale is twofold. First, the Ukraine war has normalised high-tempo drone activity on the EU’s borders, with occasional spill-over into NATO airspace. Second, the availability of commercial platforms and components has widened the risk profile inside the Union, from airport disruptions to potential sabotage. National security services have warned that hostile actors may use proxies and non-traditional financing to mount hybrid operations, adding pressure for a coherent EU-level response that complements national laws.

Implementation will hinge on industrial and regulatory choices. A pan-EU sensor and jamming grid would require spectrum management coordination, shared rules of engagement for neutralisation in civilian environments, and cross-border data-sharing. Procurement will likely draw on established defence programmes and the EU’s joint purchasing tools, while member states continue to field their own systems for site protection at airports, energy assets and military bases. The roadmap is expected to address these interfaces and set milestones for trials and initial operating capability.

Air safety considerations are central. Aviation bodies and insurers flagged the Polish incidents as a fresh risk factor for European carriers, with potential knock-on effects for routes, premiums and crisis procedures. Any EU-wide counter-drone network will have to integrate with civil aviation authorities to ensure that detection and interdiction are compatible with air traffic management and do not introduce new hazards.

Next steps come quickly. The Commission’s defence readiness roadmap is scheduled for release on Thursday, 16 October, after internal discussion at the College of Commissioners. Member states will then scrutinise the proposal’s legal base, financing and governance arrangements. If adopted substantially as trailed, the initiative would mark a shift from a geographically bounded “wall” to a union-wide defensive mesh intended to protect all regions of the EU against unmanned aerial threats.

First published on eutoday.net.