The European Commission has published an EU Action Plan on Drone and Counter-Drone Security, setting out measures intended to improve the Union’s ability to detect, track and respond to drone activity that threatens airports, critical infrastructure, borders and public events.
The plan combines regulatory changes, common technical work and options for joint procurement of equipment, with an emphasis on making national systems more interoperable.
The Commission’s initiative follows a series of incidents in 2025 in which unauthorised drones disrupted operations or triggered security responses at major transport hubs, and amid wider concern among member states about hostile or illicit drone use around sensitive sites. Commission cited disruptive drone sightings at airports in Copenhagen, Munich and Brussels, as well as cases involving cross-border security concerns in eastern member states.
At the centre of the plan is a push to strengthen drone detection and attribution: identifying what is in the air, linking it to a registered operator where possible, and improving the ability of authorities to act quickly when a drone is assessed as a threat. The Commission proposes tighter rules on registration and identification, alongside a wider set of measures aimed at detection, testing and deployment of counter-drone capabilities.
Tighter registration and identification
The Commission signals further work to improve the effectiveness of existing EU rules on drone registration and identification. In practice, the aim is to reduce the share of drones operating without traceability and to give law enforcement clearer tools to distinguish legitimate flights from suspicious activity. Reuters reported that proposals include mandatory drone registration and identification measures, as part of a broader effort to improve tracking and disruption options.
The action plan also points to technology and connectivity issues that complicate detection. It highlights the need to adapt approaches to drones that may exploit advanced communications networks, including the use of 5G, and to improve methods for detecting drones that are not connected in a way that makes conventional tracking straightforward.
Detection, testing and certification of counter-drone systems
A recurring theme in the Commission’s document is that counter-drone measures need to be deployable in real settings without creating new risks, particularly for aviation safety. The plan describes work to strengthen testing capacity across the EU and to build a more structured approach to validating counter-drone technologies before deployment. It states that the Joint Research Centre’s counter-drone “Living Lab” will be upgraded into a fully fledged EU counter-drone centre of excellence, intended to operate alongside a broader network of test and expertise facilities.
The Commission also envisages a more formal market framework for counter-drone equipment. The action plan sets out intentions to support a harmonised testing methodology and to develop voluntary performance requirements, as well as to promote a certification scheme designed to address safety and improve confidence in equipment used around sensitive environments.
Joint procurement and faster deployment for critical infrastructure
One of the most operational elements is the proposal to use EU-level coordination to accelerate deployment of counter-drone systems at critical infrastructure. The plan says the Commission will work with member states to launch an EU Counter-drone Deployment Initiative for Critical Infrastructure, starting with a call for expression of interest in the second quarter of 2026.
The document also sets out an option for voluntary joint purchasing. The Commission proposes a joint purchasing initiative for deploying counter-drone solutions at critical infrastructure, with the stated objective of leveraging procurement capacity through relevant EU agencies and creating synergies with national procurement schemes. The Commission intends to invite member states to cooperate on joint public procurement of detection systems.
Alongside critical infrastructure, the plan links counter-drone capability to border management. It describes support for Frontex activities related to drone and counter-drone demonstrations, pilots and training, and refers to funding routes intended to help member states integrate drone-related surveillance and response measures at the EU’s external borders.
Exercises, rapid teams and a common “software layer”
The Commission proposes more routine EU-level testing of readiness. The action plan includes a yearly large-scale drone security exercise intended to test cross-border cooperation and civil-military coordination, with a first exercise indicated for autumn 2026.
It also outlines a solidarity mechanism: the Commission says it will explore, by the fourth quarter of 2026, the establishment of Rapid Counter-drone Emergency Response Teams. These would be deployable at the request of a member state, intended to provide additional detection and response capacity when national resources are stretched or when a high-profile event requires reinforcement.
A further strand concerns integration. The plan argues that effective counter-drone capability depends on command-and-control systems able to link sensors and “effectors” and to fuse information quickly. It sets out an ambition for member states to develop interoperable European command-and-control capacities, including the use of AI-enabled software and secure cloud and encryption, so that detection data and response tools can function together across borders and between civilian and defence contexts.
What happens next
The Commission presents the action plan as a framework for coordinated implementation rather than a single legislative act. It points to near-term steps, including the call for expressions of interest on deployments, exercises and guidance for operators, alongside longer-term work such as a feasibility study on an EU-level counter-drone regulatory framework looking towards 2030.
If implemented as described, the plan would place drone detection and counter-drone capability closer to the core of EU internal security policy, with a clearer link between regulation, technology validation and procurement. The practical impact will depend on how quickly member states align approaches on registration and identification, and whether voluntary joint purchasing translates into deployed systems across airports, energy sites, ports and border regions.
