EU rejects funding 'drone wall' for member states, reports say
Estonia and Lithuania have reportedly sought financial support to militarize the bloc’s borders with Russia and Belarus. Lithuania and Estonia have been unsuccessful in obtaining EU funding for a proposed ‘drone wall’ along their shared borders...
TroibNews 
Estonia and Lithuania have reportedly sought financial support to militarize the bloc’s borders with Russia and Belarus.
Lithuania and Estonia have been unsuccessful in obtaining EU funding for a proposed ‘drone wall’ along their shared borders with Russia and Belarus, as stated by Lithuania’s Interior Ministry, according to the news agency BNS.
Last year, the interior ministers of six NATO countries—Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Finland, and Norway—reached an agreement to construct a unified, militarized “drone wall” along their eastern frontiers. Although Norway is not an EU member, the ministers agreed to investigate the potential for EU funding for this collective initiative.
A report from BNS indicated that the border services of Estonia and Lithuania subsequently submitted a joint application for financial support.
“However, the project did not receive financing,” Lithuania’s Interior Ministry was quoted as saying, noting that Estonia was the lead applicant, with Lithuania participating as a partner.
In May 2024, Lithuania’s Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite accused Russia and Belarus of attempts to “destabilize our countries,” emphasizing the need for measures to “secure the EU’s external borders with drones.”
Bilotaite highlighted that the proposed “drone wall stretching from Norway to Poland” would encompass not just physical infrastructure and surveillance systems, but also drones and other advanced technologies. Additionally, she suggested the organization of regional mass evacuation drills.
In November, Estonia’s government committed nearly €12 million over three years to support the initiative, with the country’s Police and Border Guard Board actively seeking further funding from various sources, including the EU.
Many EU and NATO members, particularly in the Baltic states, have characterized Russia as a threat to regional security. These concerns have gained traction amidst discussions between Russia and the US pertaining to the resolution of the Ukraine conflict. As part of a more extensive military strategy, the Baltics aim to construct approximately 1,000 concrete bunkers, along with trenches, anti-tank ditches, ammunition depots, and supply shelters along their eastern borders, as per recent media reports.
Moscow has refuted any intentions to attack NATO countries or the EU. President Vladimir Putin has dismissed such allegations as “nonsense,” asserting that European politicians exploit the alleged threat to instill fear within their populations, secure resources, and rationalize increased military expenditures.
Simultaneously, Russia has repeatedly voiced concerns regarding what it perceives as NATO’s unprecedented military activities near its western borders in recent years.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
Lithuania and Estonia have been unsuccessful in obtaining EU funding for a proposed ‘drone wall’ along their shared borders with Russia and Belarus, as stated by Lithuania’s Interior Ministry, according to the news agency BNS.
Last year, the interior ministers of six NATO countries—Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Finland, and Norway—reached an agreement to construct a unified, militarized “drone wall” along their eastern frontiers. Although Norway is not an EU member, the ministers agreed to investigate the potential for EU funding for this collective initiative.
A report from BNS indicated that the border services of Estonia and Lithuania subsequently submitted a joint application for financial support.
“However, the project did not receive financing,” Lithuania’s Interior Ministry was quoted as saying, noting that Estonia was the lead applicant, with Lithuania participating as a partner.
In May 2024, Lithuania’s Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite accused Russia and Belarus of attempts to “destabilize our countries,” emphasizing the need for measures to “secure the EU’s external borders with drones.”
Bilotaite highlighted that the proposed “drone wall stretching from Norway to Poland” would encompass not just physical infrastructure and surveillance systems, but also drones and other advanced technologies. Additionally, she suggested the organization of regional mass evacuation drills.
In November, Estonia’s government committed nearly €12 million over three years to support the initiative, with the country’s Police and Border Guard Board actively seeking further funding from various sources, including the EU.
Many EU and NATO members, particularly in the Baltic states, have characterized Russia as a threat to regional security. These concerns have gained traction amidst discussions between Russia and the US pertaining to the resolution of the Ukraine conflict. As part of a more extensive military strategy, the Baltics aim to construct approximately 1,000 concrete bunkers, along with trenches, anti-tank ditches, ammunition depots, and supply shelters along their eastern borders, as per recent media reports.
Moscow has refuted any intentions to attack NATO countries or the EU. President Vladimir Putin has dismissed such allegations as “nonsense,” asserting that European politicians exploit the alleged threat to instill fear within their populations, secure resources, and rationalize increased military expenditures.
Simultaneously, Russia has repeatedly voiced concerns regarding what it perceives as NATO’s unprecedented military activities near its western borders in recent years.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
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