Behind the planned gathering lies a test of whether Europe can turn growing drone threats and Ukrainian battlefield expertise into practical cooperation.
Ukraine and the European Union will hold the first meeting of the Drone Alliance in Brussels next week. European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius will attend, along with representatives of 19 European and nine Ukrainian companies working in the field of unmanned technologies.
As reported by nv.ua.
Participants will include ORQA, Indra Group, Fincantieri, WB Group, Destinus, Delair, Quantum Systems, Skyfall Industries, Greentech Harvest, Deviro, Vyriy Industry, and ATHLON AVIA.
At the same time, industry representatives are skeptical about the meeting’s prospects. They believe it may remain merely a formal event without any concrete results.
What the Drone Alliance is intended to achieve
The idea of creating the Drone Alliance was proposed last year by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The EU views the initiative as a tool to accelerate the development of unmanned systems and counter-drone technologies.
The relevance of such a partnership is growing amid increasing threats to the airspace of EU countries. During the meeting, European Commission representatives also plan to discuss the functioning of Ukraine’s drone ecosystem and cooperation between the state and the defence industry.
Ukraine–EU defence partnership
On July 15, Ukraine and the European Union agreed on the Drone Deal, aimed at developing unmanned technologies. Ursula von der Leyen said the partnership would involve using Ukraine’s combat experience and expanding drone production in Europe.
On July 1, the government approved the first transparent mechanism for the controlled export of Ukrainian weapons and defence technologies to partner countries. At the time, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said the procedure would remain in effect throughout martial law under the Drone Deal framework.
On July 2, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Rustem Umerov said that six agreements had already been signed under this model. More than 20 other countries are working to join the framework.
Ukraine also expects to conclude major defence agreements with at least seven NATO countries by the end of the year. This could strengthen its role not only as a recipient but also as a supplier of military equipment and defence expertise.