The European Commission will allocate €130m for the development of drone technologies as part of efforts to strengthen border protection and counter hybrid threats.
The new funding was announced during a meeting of justice and home affairs ministers in Luxembourg, Euronews reports.
European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner noted that new technologies and drones are important not only for protecting borders, but also for the security of critical infrastructure.
At the start of the year, the European Commission published an action plan on drone-related security with a budget of €250m, covering up to 90% of countries’ costs for purchasing unmanned aerial vehicles and systems to counter them. Due to high demand and the quality of applications, the initiative has been given additional funding.
Overall, the EU has already channelled more than €500m into border surveillance technologies, including a separate €170m for the Frontex agency and national authorities. In addition, Brussels plans to strengthen Frontex’s role in crisis situations, while EU leaders will discuss approaches to migration and border management at the European Council summit on 15–16 October.
- Last month, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia jointly appealed to the European Commission to provide additional EU financial support to develop capabilities to combat drones.