Brussels, 19 Nov 2025

Press Release: European Defence at the Frontier: Unmanned Systems and Strategic Readiness

On Wednesday, 12 November 2025, the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (ZPP) and European Enterprise Alliance (EEA) organised a high-level policy discussion titled “European Defence at the Frontier: Unmanned Systems and Strategic Readiness”, hosted by MEP Kosma Złotowski, MEP Rasa Juknevičienė, and MEP Michał Dworczyk in the European Parliament in Brussels.

The discussion brought together EU representatives and experts including KOSMA ZŁOTOWSKI, Member of the European Parliament; RASA JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Member of the European Parliament and former Minister of Defence of Lithuania; REINIS POZŅAKS, Member of the European Parliament and the Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE); PEKKA TOVERI, Member of the European Parliament and the SEDE Committee; JONAS CEDERLÖF, Deputy Head of Unit, Strategy, Interinstitutional Relations, and Security at the European Commission’s DG DEFIS; STÉPHANE OUAKI, Acting Director of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA); DAREK SAUNDERS, Head of Research and Technology Sector at Frontex; JAMIE SHEA, Senior Fellow for Peace, Security and Defence with Friends of Europe; MAŁGORZATA DAROWSKA, WB Group’s Director for EU Affairs; and JAKUB BIŃKOWSKI, Board Member at Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (ZPP).

The discussion was moderated by LUSYNE KESZISZJAN, Head of the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers Brussels Office.

In his opening remarks, MEP KOSMA ZŁOTOWSKI began by stressing the urgency of finding an effective response to the growing hybrid threat that drones pose for Europe. He called for comprehensive, European solutions, both for fielding our own drones and for countering hostile UAS, all developed within the Union and deployed in both civilian and military conditions. As the event later drew to a close, MEP Złotowski ended with a short but powerful message of only five words: “we must produce effective drones”.

MEP RASA JUKNEVIČIENĖ considered the changing security landscape in Europe, stating that “be it eastern border, be it the European Union, be it the European continent, we are at war”. She stated that while conventional warfare may currently be limited to Ukraine, this does not make the threat any less real for the rest of Europe. MEP Juknevičienė urged policymakers and defence actors to learn from the situation in Ukraine, drawing from the experiences of deploying UAS and countering hostile drone actions.

MEP REINIS POZŅAKS’ keynote address focused on his role as rapporteur for the forthcoming report ‘Drones and new systems of warfare – the EU’s need to adapt to be fit for today’s security challenges’. He opened by stating that “drones are not a toy anymore in the budget,” reflecting their growing priority for spending. He then went on to discuss how this is a field in which Europe will always be in a race with its global competitors, with it sometimes being ahead and sometimes falling behind, but with a need to be ready for both scenarios. This requires creating a supportive ecosystem for the civil defence infrastructure and early warning systems required to stave off potential threats. MEP Pozņaks also commented on the unique nature of drone developments given their constant need for updates. Referring to the fact that nearly every brigade in the Ukrainian military having a drone workshop, he highlighted that improved uptake of UAS systems into EU defence policies needs to account not only for the initial demand, but also the continuous need for updates on the frontlines.

MEP PEKKA TOVERI considered the two forms of dangers posed by hostile UAS actions. The first is the threat of mass attacks along the Eastern border, while the latter involves covert deployment of drones from within the EU to attack critical infrastructures anywhere in the Union. He made it clear that these two scenarios require very distinct solutions, and thus urges C-UAS development to show consideration for the different scenarios in which UAS may be deployed against Europe.

JONAS CEDERLÖF, as the European Commission coordinator for the European Drone Defence Initiative, provided his insights from the Commission’s position as a coordinating body and provider of funding. He stressed that European defence actors are already doing a lot of good work, but that they need to accelerate their work and push their ambitions further. He emphasised that there needs to be a balance between predictability and agility, which will be enabled by the European Defence Fund. Mr. Cederlöf also discussed the role given to Member States going forward, as national actors will come together to address synchronised needs on mutually important questions, particularly through the use of common procurement projects made possible by the forthcoming European Defence Industry Programme. Finally, he pointed out that the Commission is working hard to remove unnecessary fragmentation without giving rise to monopolies, stressing that competition within the Union will also boost Europe’s global competitiveness.

STÉPHANE OUAKI provided another perspective from within the Commission, focusing on the side of funding innovation. The Horizon Europe programme has already provided substantial support for startups and SMEs in the deep tech sector including UAS development. With the recent changes from the so-called Mini-Defence Omnibus, funding programmes will no longer be limited to dual-use technologies either but will instead also be available for dedicated defence products. Because of this, he expressed optimism about the European Innovation Council’s ability to provide strong support for the industry moving forward.

DAREK SAUNDERS discussed the dual-use applications of drones when it comes to the field of border management. He emphasised that UAS and C-UAS technologies must work in concert in comprehensive surveillance systems, and that these systems should be integrated across all areas of surveillance including land, air, maritime, and space. Mr. Saunders called for consideration to be shown for all components that go into these systems, considering not only the drones themselves but also the communications systems, Command and Control structures, and cybersecurity measures. Similarly, he highlighted the value in highly trained operators, stating that even with a perfect system it is the operator who determines whether the UAS operates at its best or is misused. Mr. Saunders ended his intervention by reflecting on the current slow pace of Frontex’s innovation process, stating that simplified research and procurement processes as well as an increase in supply are all essential factors to reaching the agency’s needs.

MAŁGORZATA DAROWSKA stressed that in addition to up-and-coming SMEs and startups, the European defence ecosystem also has a strong presence of capable mid-caps that already have the capacity for meeting the security needs. These companies have battle-proven and interoperable products, but due to the lack of a supportive market in Europe they are forced to sell internationally instead. Therefore, she called for policymakers to implement legislation that makes the European Single Market more conducive for European producers to sell within the Union. One particularly important aspect of such reforms would be to ensure that only trusted suppliers producing user-safe products should be allowed to operate on the European market, since an oversaturation of suppliers could raise security concerns. Ms. Darowska also called attention to the particularities of the drone industry, pointing out that it is a field that does not necessarily focus on inventing new technologies, but rather on integrating existing products from other fields such as communications to advance the innovativeness. She finished her intervention by stating that UAS and C-UAS technologies are two sides of the same coin, and as such need to be approached with the same logic.

Drawing from an extensive career in security policy, JAMIE SHEA began by explaining why UAS pose such a great threat to European society. He raised their superior mobility – both in the sense of being able to quickly move from one country to another, but also in their ability to be deployed from practically anywhere – the difficulty of determining who is operating a drone, and their inexpensiveness. Dr. Shea called for legal frameworks and civilian security capabilities to be updated to better reflect this new nature of threats, including streamlined police responses, greater perimeter defence in vulnerable areas such as airports, and a better intelligence picture of operators by means of a drone registration system. He also called for C-UAS technologies to be developed in a way that ensures civilian safety, since high-tech jammers are less likely to cause collateral damage than shooting down hostile UAS.

JAKUB BIŃKOWSKI approached his intervention through a lens of economic policy, and noted that Europe as a whole is showing unprecedented support for the defence industry, with the example of Poland’s defence budget for 2026 being set at nearly €47 billion. That being said, he also stresses the need to ensure that this increased funding is utilised effectively, and that they address both the pressing concern for defending Europe against current aggressors, but also the need for building resilience against future threats. Mr. Bińkowski called for defence funding to target three key areas: established companies with strong track records should receive further assistance in scaling up to meet rising demands, smaller subsectors within the defence industry need support for developing highly technical and innovative solutions, and making effective use of Europe’s great human capital.

PRESS RELEASE