European leaders gathered in the Danish capital addressed on Wednesday, October 1, the issue of intensifying air defense measures, in the context of increasingly frequent drone threats, including beyond the eastern flank of the European Union. The concept of the so-called “anti-drone wall” was the central subject at the press conference following the informal meeting of heads of state or government.
Asked by Reuters journalist Andrew Gray if the term “anti-drone wall” is suitable to reflect the European scale of this endeavor, considering that not only the eastern flank is exposed, European leaders offered nuanced perspectives on the concept.
Mette Frederiksen, the Prime Minister of Denmark, stated that she is not concerned about the name of the plan, but about its effectiveness.
“I don’t care about the name, as long as it works. You can’t interpret something just because I didn’t use the word. We had a long discussion on this topic today,” she said.
The Danish Prime Minister emphasized that drones have fundamentally changed the nature of warfare, and Europe must be prepared to respond to such threats “that can come from anywhere.”
Frederiksen insisted on the need to build a European anti-drone defense ecosystem, inspired by the Ukrainian model: “It is essential to integrate Ukraine into this process, because they are the experts. European security is no longer just about Russia, but also about migration, climate change, and other hybrid threats.”
In turn, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, highlighted the scale of the phenomenon, mentioning that in Ukraine up to 800 drones are intercepted in a single night.
“The idea of the anti-drone wall initially came from Ukraine, and we are learning from them. Although the current priority is the eastern flank, the vision is a pan-European one, with a 360-degree approach, which will also include the southern flank,” von der Leyen said.
The European official explained that this system will protect the Union not only from drones but also from hybrid threats, such as instrumentalized migration, Russian ghost fleets, or potential hostile troop movements at the external borders.
In addition, the President of the European Council, António Costa, reiterated that all EU external borders – eastern, southern, northern, and western – must be treated as common borders.
“The main danger remains Russia, especially on the eastern flank, which is why it is treated as a priority. However, the approach must be coherent and broad,” Costa said.
Also, the leaders reminded that, since March, one of the strategic objectives set by the European Council was the development of capabilities in the field of drones and anti-drone systems. In this context, discussions about the “brand” under which this concept will be implemented remain open.
The concept of the “anti-drone wall” involves the implementation of coordinated surveillance, defense, and counteracting systems against drones at the level of the entire European Union. The initiative was inspired by the defense needs of Ukraine, a country that faces daily massive attacks from Russia and is supported by several member states close to the eastern borders.
Recently, several countries, including Romania, Poland, the Baltic countries, and Denmark, have faced drone incursions launched by the Russian Federation.