EU calls on companies to help lead EU-Ukraine drone alliance

The European Commission is seeking founding members to lead the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance, offering industry players and SMEs a seat on the board to shape the future of the region's defence drone ecosystem. 

First introduced in 2025, the alliance is focused on bringing together manufacturers and end-users to build a “flexible, agile and state of the art European capacity” for drone and counter-drone capabilities. 

The commission will select organisations with proven “experience and expertise” in the drone and counter-drone sector as founding members. Expressions of interest in joining are welcomed from across EU states, the European Economic Area, and Ukraine, according to an announcement by the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space on 5 May. 

The first board, made up of selected founding members, commission officials, and Ukrainian members of government, will have a tenure of at least two years before moving to a three-year cycle. A maximum of 15 board members will then be elected, with at least five representatives from SMEs or startups. Geographic diversity is also a requisite, with a provision for Ukrainian members to be adequately represented. 

The ultimate oversight and general strategy of the alliance will be decided by the commission and Ukraine, both of which may veto any decisions made by the board. 

The bloc argues that violations of member states’ airspace illustrate the urgency in establishing a European capacity to counter UASs, with the alliance helping to spearhead this effort.  

Key short-term goals of the alliance are to reinforce drone and counter-drone supply chains by identifying vulnerabilities and component dependencies, as well as exchanging expertise on scaling up production with Ukraine. In the long-term, it aims to work towards the development of larger-scale initiatives, such as member state-led development of drone and counter-drone technology. 

The alliance is expected to closely interact with existing member state-led "Priority Capability Coalition" partnerships, which are designed to jointly identify, procure, and develop critical defence capabilities to address critical shortfalls. 

The deadline for initial expressions of interest to become a founding member is 25 May.