The EU Counter-UAS Action Plan – also known as COM(2026) 81 final – is a full EU policy for which a white paper on drones was published on 11 February 2026 by the European Commission. This plan is aimed at managing how the threat to drones in European airspace can be tackled across Europe in the coming years in a coordinated way.
In summary, the strategy follows a four-pillar approach based on prevention, detection, response and defence. The strategy is geared toward operators of critical infrastructure, public administrations, law enforcement, airports, ports and border guards in all 27 EU Member States. An EU-level legal framework covering counter-UAS will be finalised by 2030.
Why Did the EU Release This Plan Now?
The European drone threat environment is evolving, and evolving fast. Where this once was a niche security issue – the odd hobbyist straying near the local airport – Europe now faces a pan-continental security and strategic challenge. It involves state adversaries, organised criminal gangs and hybrid threats.
What the European Commission is acting on is clear from its Action Plan. Over the last few years, the EU has seen an escalation of unauthorised drone incursions, illegal flights across national airspaces, major airport closures, attacks on sensitive infrastructure, the exterior borders of Member States, sea and airport terminals, public areas, maritime security and energy infrastructure. Several near misses with passenger planes have added urgency to a problem that was growing in severity.
This is where the geopolitical situation connects with policy. Russia’s prolonged employment of drones as a tool of hybrid warfare – i.e., probing the Eastern Flank EU and NATO member airspace – illustrates that the drone threat is no longer theoretical. Just in January, in Poland, 2732 GPS jamming events were recorded. In September 2025, Polish and NATO aircraft shot down a couple of suspected Russian drones in Poland’s airspace that flew over after the Russians attacked Ukraine. This was repeated in Romania, Denmark, and Germany.
Adding to the complexity of the situation was the fragmented regulatory environment. In truth, laws covering aviation, telecoms, privacy, IT, and policing all affect counter-UAS measures – and yet very few EU countries have produced national, joined-up plans. Each Member State was effectively creating its own approach, leading to serious holes in Europe’s unified approach to airspace security.
It’s also not just a security document. The Action Plan is a statement from Europe that we’re in the middle of playing catch-up with the threat posed by drones. And the only way we will be is through a single architecture, joint procurement, and coordinated responses, supported by common standards.
The Four Pillars of the EU Counter-UAS Action Plan
The Action Plan has four pillars. We set concrete steps (initiatives) for each and assigned timeframes to all. Here’s a breakdown of what each pillar is about.
Pillar 1: Enhancing Preparedness
Building resilience before a drone attack. It encompasses infrastructure safety and security, a security intelligence model, best practices for operators, and a push for innovation in technology and industrial production.
The pillar also focuses on the Drone Security Toolbox, and as mentioned earlier, the Commission has vowed to launch this via a collaborative security risk assessment by Q3 2026. This Toolbox will help to deliver to operators and Member States a defined mechanism for determining their threat exposure and capacity to respond to drones – that is to say, a defined security readiness standard for any organisation prior to a drone security event occurring.
The Commission further pledged to develop a specific roadmap for critical infrastructure operators to understand and react to drone threats, as well as to pilot an initiative to step up maritime surveillance against drones.
Additionally, the plan provided for each member state to appoint a National Drone Security Coordinator who would be responsible for coordinating the action plan at the national level and for liaising with the Commission’s strategic coordination structure.
With the UAV Defence Customised Anti-Drone Solutions, the solutions are all built with your site’s specific threat profiles in mind, which is the exact strategy that the Drone Security Toolbox will solidify.
Pillar 2: Boosting Detection Capacities
It could be argued that detection is the most technically specialised pillar within the Action Plan, and indeed the one that has the most immediate impact on today’s procurement decisions.
The Commission was not beating around the bush when it described the challenge: there is currently no integrated system of air surveillance for drones, and it does not have all the necessary capabilities to prevent hostile drones from evading detection at least for a certain period of time. This is not an academic shortfall – hostile drones have been operating above critical sites across Europe unhindered.
The strategy outlines the use of detection systems to distinguish between friend and foe drones, thereby providing useful situational awareness rather than just sounding a general alarm about any drone that comes into view. For this to be possible, the Commission said the approach to detection would have to migrate from one sensor-centric platform to a multi-sensor solution coupled via AI-driven command-and-control (C2) software.
The tech we’re talking about in this roadmap is:
- AI algorithms that use sensor data to automatically categorise and analyse threats.
- 5G infrastructure that allows for rapid data flow and seamless airspace monitoring.
- EUROSUR – meaning drone detection and tracking systems must integrate with the European border surveillance network, providing real-time situational awareness across national borders and coordinating response actions if events spill over.
They also wanted to create a secure EU drone incident platform where all the member states can share and access a common repository of data about unauthorised drone events, their standardised format, and near real-time streams of information about such events.
In addition to this, by Q1 2027, the Commission also pledged to set up an EU counter-drone centre of excellence (CoE) to help with test campaigns incorporating aviation safety aspects, as well as creating a comprehensive, harmonised approach to testing counter-UAS systems within the EU.
That’s where UAV Defence’s Intelligent UAV Defence Radar Systems – namely, the UD RD-07 A/B UAV Defence Radar, which provides 360° coverage with detection ranges up to and exceeding 5km – and Fixed Drone Detection Systems come in. The former, in particular, are specifically designed to deliver the kind of consistent, overarching surveillance envisioned in the EU plan.
In the way of mobile solutions for immediate, quick deployment, UAV Defence offers the UD D30 Portable Suitcase Drone Detector, with detection up to 5km and a reaction time of only 3 seconds.
Pillar 3: Coordinating Responses
Knowing that a drone is there is only half the battle if you don’t have the authority, training or legal system in place to do anything about it. This is the third column: the missing European drone counter-capabilities.
One part of the Action Plan was about developing an “integrated civil-military approach” to drone operations. In simple terms, it acknowledged that countering drones often requires civilians, law enforcement and military forces to work together in an organised and quick manner. The plan suggested the setting up of the Commission’s fast response teams and promised to equip law enforcement agencies with the necessary tools to respond to drones. It also envisioned that these agencies would be authorised to use drones for lawful security purposes, such as observing crowds.
The policy statement recognised a serious gap in command and control – namely, that when sensor platforms identify targets and effectors can engage them, the legal and coordination system lags too often. This is exacerbated by complex situations involving international airspace, competing authorities (military and civil), and the role of privately-held infrastructure.
Private critical infrastructure operators will hear this pillar loud and clear: don’t trust government-led incident response alone. It is becoming the norm to establish your own response function, independent of (but linked to) national authorities, and build out detection.
Need to neutralise drones instantly? Deploy the UD S-01 Shield Jammer to cut through their control, image transfer, and navigational connections. Keep in mind that using jamming technology typically requires legal permission in your country. We can help you configure a safe and legal deployment for your needs; just get in touch.
Pillar 4: Strengthening Defence Readiness
Pillar 4 is the furthest from the present. It links the EU’s internal security approach to drone proliferation with its longer-term industrial policy for defence. In this pillar, the market to combat and counter drones emerges as the bedrock of the EU’s strategic autonomy.
The Action Plan referenced the European Drone Defence Initiative and the Eastern Flank Watch as flagship initiatives for the Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030. The idea here is that these will “fast-track industrial capacity building of low-cost defence technology and scale up production of drone and counter-drone systems in Europe.”
In this pillar, one of the primary industrial coordination instruments we have in mind is the D-TECT Forum, a drone and counter-drone industrial forum intended to launch in Q2 2026. This Forum will serve as a tool to map civil and military industrial capabilities, identify investment priorities, and crucially, foster the scale-up of European startups and counter-drone manufacturers. It will be open to existing defence prime contractors as well as innovative technology companies.
The strategy also envisioned a stronger partnership with Ukraine within the Drone Alliance with Ukraine, acknowledging Ukraine as one of the leading suppliers of operational counter-drone expertise on the globe due to its four years of “in the wild” drone warfare experience. Through partnering with Ukraine, Europe aims to speed up technology transfer and rapid scale-up of its industrial production of tested systems.
Key Milestones and Deadlines Every Security Buyer Needs to Know
| Timeline | Milestone | What Buyers Should Do |
| Q2 2026 | D-TECT Industrial Forum launches | Suppliers: register; buyers: monitor for framework agreements |
| Q3 2026 | Drone Security Toolbox risk assessment published | Align your threat assessment framework with its methodology |
| Q4 2026 | EU Trusted Drone Label introduced for civil drones | Begin specifying label-ready systems in RFPs |
| Q4 2026 | UAS geographical zone information improved; voluntary counter-UAS performance standards recommended | Review your geofencing coverage and system compliance |
| Q1 2027 | EU counter-drone centre of excellence established; harmonised testing methodology launched | Use certified test results in procurement decisions |
| 2027 | Technical requirements for geofencing established | Infrastructure operators: begin geofencing integration planning |
| 2030 | Full EU-level counter-UAS regulatory framework enacted | All systems must align with EU standards by this date |
The Action Plan is not a vague aspiration. It comes with concrete timelines. Here is the full roadmap:
The EU Trusted Drone Label: What It Is and Why It Will Change Procurement
The most commercially impactful feature of the Action Plan appears to be the EU Trusted Drone Label scheduled to arrive in Q4 2026.
The EU Trusted Drone Label is intended to set an EU-level benchmark for trusted and secure civil drones put on the EU market. The operationalisation of such a label generally entails criteria surrounding cybersecurity, software update procedures, data management, part traceability, and compliance with remote identification obligations.
This “label” first appeared in the Commission’s Drone Strategy 2.0 (November 2022) when discussing cybersecurity obligations, particularly within the Specific category. The Action Plan 2026 brings this concept forward even sooner and in a more comprehensive way.
For procurement managers, this means one thing: when such a “label” becomes available, products that do not comply with it will see increasing restrictions on being procured, both by governments and regulated private operators. Procuring and awarding any project where RFPs/contracts will be issued from mid-2026 onwards against systems bearing the label will shield you from the obsolescence risks.
The EU Joint Counter-Drone Purchasing Initiative: Who It Affects
Of all the more concrete aspects of the Action Plan, a voluntary EU joint purchasing of counter-drone systems to protect critical infrastructure should have an immediate impact on purchasers.
The Commission has promised to put this forward, harnessing the purchasing power of EU agencies to work with joint procurement run by national governments, just as is the case for existing joint purchasing programmes for medical equipment and energy.
Our goal is to gain scale, limit duplicative efforts at the member state level, drive towards standards convergence via shared requirements, and reduce the per-unit cost of anti-drone systems by pooling purchasing volumes.
Expected beneficiaries will be those entities involved in critical infrastructure (CI), governments, ministries of defence, customs, and border control. Operators of private infrastructure (ports, airports, energy grids), subject to member state transposition of existing legal acts, will also benefit.
For potential buyers, this leads to a two-part conclusion.
- Firstly, those that are likely to be eligible to participate should start to consider their counter-drone capability requirements in the form they’re going to be given (capability, not make/model).
- Secondly, those that aren’t eligible to join the joint buying effort should still consider the requirements published by the initiative as the benchmark for any of their own purchasing, as this will set the European de facto benchmark for counter-drone systems.
What the Plan Means for Different Types of Security Buyer
Government and Law Enforcement
The Response pillar of the Action Plan focuses on government agencies and law enforcement. They will be the users of the rapid response units, training curricula, and expanded legal authorities to implement counter-drone defences. Government procurement departments, for instance, know from the plan that budgets are rising for counter-drone – and that requirements will be harmonised, meaning they’ll have less leeway when choosing a system as certification processes mature.
Thanks to the Action Plan’s push for a National Drone Security Coordinator, we should see an individual at the governmental level responsible for the rollout of counter-drone policy in the vast majority of member states. Cultivating an association with this future individual now, ahead of their official appointment, ensures your organisation has a voice at the table when it comes to designing the national implementation framework.
Police officers and other government agencies who need to respond to situations quickly should check out the UD H2DL Handheld Drone Locator. This device can detect drones within 1-3 km and operates in 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands. It offers 6 hours of battery life and is compatible with every mainstream DJI model; you can even get it up and running in less than 60 seconds.
Critical Infrastructure Operators
This Action Plan further highlights energy sites, water treatment facilities, ports, train systems and electrical grids as priority counter-drone protection sites. The Commission has promised to give special instructions for these owners, and a voluntary purchasing pool is specifically tailored to critical infrastructure owners.
In essence, the increase in drone incidents, the Action Plan’s emphasis on energy security, and the concurrent EU directives on infrastructure protection (NIS2, CER Directive) translate to a straightforward directive for energy providers. This means countering drone activity should now be viewed as an essential, standard operating procedure and no longer just an add-on or value-add feature.
With energy sector deployments specifically in mind, UAV Defence’s Power Station Security Solutions and Urban Grid Counter-UAV Solutions offer combined fixed radar detection with integrated response. Our full range of Drone Detection Systems can be seen below, including Fixed Drone Detectors and Portable Drone Detectors.
Airport and Aviation Security
One of the most high-profile counter-drone environments in Europe is the airport. The Action Plan listed disruptions to airport activities and the occurrence of near misses with commercial air traffic as the main areas of concern it aims to counter. However, the maritime surveillance pilot project and commitments on EUROSUR integration go further to cover seaports and other critical transport infrastructure.
From aviation security professionals, the roadmap stresses that equipping themselves with counter-drone solutions is no longer an optional purchase. Between the EASA regulations, national aviation authority (NAA) mandates, and now the EU Action Plan, owning counter-drone capability will become an essential prerequisite to meet their operating licence obligations.
Introducing the UD RD08A/B Drone Detection Radar! With a full 360 horizontal scan and detection range beyond 5 kilometers (RCS: 0.01m) and an adjustable tilt of 0-30, it’s the perfect solution for keeping airport perimeters secure in any weather.
Defence Suppliers and Counter-Drone Manufacturers
For the industry, the Action Plan also sets the shape of the market. With mandatory voluntary performance standards (in Q4 2026), a standardised testing approach (in Q1 2027) and the implementation of an EU-wide certification scheme (expected in 2030), it becomes clear what the meaning of “ready to market” is in the European Counter Drone ecosystem.
One clear example of an industry engagement forum is the D-TECT Forum, which is planned for launch in Q2 2026. Early engagement with this forum allows suppliers to define the required standards before the details are locked down in 2028, whereas any delay means responding to a standard they had no involvement in formulating.
Summary
The most exciting development in Europe’s drone countermeasures industry in ten years arrived on February 11th with the European Union Counter-UAS Action Plan (COM(2026) 81 final). This is a real game-changer in how Europe will address the drone threat and move away from the haphazard, nation-state responses of the last decade to a unified European approach.
Now is the time for European entities that operate airports, power stations, ports, government offices or public spaces to adjust existing infrastructure and procurement methods to the EU Security Strategy. And this window of opportunity won’t remain open forever.
Struggling to understand your existing counter-drone capabilities in relation to the EU Action Plan needs? Get in touch with the UAV Defence team to get your capabilities assessed and see which counter-drone system will work best in your setup under the new EU guidelines. Take a look at our counter-drone systems, or head over to industry applications for ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is COM(2026) 81 final?
On 11 February 2026, the European Commission published its Action Plan on Drone and Counter-Drone Security. The reference code of this document is COM(2026) 81 final. It represents the EU Commission’s policy document concerning drone threats within EU member states.
Is the EU Counter-UAS Action Plan legally binding?
The Action Plan isn’t a piece of regulation but a political message. Its actions will be enforced using existing legislation (procurement laws, telecommunications regulations, aviation rules, NIS2 Directive) or through voluntary actions (like joint procurement). Nevertheless, the Action Plan clearly calls for an EU-level regulation on counter-UAS systems by 2030 that will be legally binding.
Does the EU plan allow organisations to deploy drone jammers?
Actually, no. The Action Plan does not alter current national telecommunications laws pertaining to the deployment of drone jamming systems. For the most part, it remains against the law in all EU Member States to operate a drone jammer without specific government or law enforcement authority. This is governed by national telecommunications regulations. The emphasis here is on enabling a licensed, coordinated response, not on opening up the ability to jam for any operator. Always refer to your national authority and/or your legal advisor prior to deploying any jamming countermeasures.
What is the EU Trusted Drone Label?
Set to be rolled out in Q4 2026, the EU Trusted Drone Label will serve as a security and quality certification for drones used in civil applications. This certification is projected to address software development practices, component provenance, cybersecurity posture, and data management. In effect, it will establish a “seal of trust” on drones sold on the EU market, conceptually akin to CE marking but focused on security and digital assurance. Once it’s in place, organisations operating under regulatory frameworks might struggle to source or deploy systems without the label.
Who are National Drone Security Coordinators?
In line with the Action Plan’s recommendations, each EU Member State should designate a National Drone Security Coordinator. This role will be responsible for managing the national implementation of the measures within the Action Plan. The coordinator will also be responsible for liaison with other governmental departments and authorities, law enforcement, drone operators, and the Commission’s coordination body. It is anticipated that Member States will begin nominating these coordinators from early 2026 onwards.
What is the D-TECT Forum?
The D-TECT Forum is an industrial forum for drones and counter-drones put forward by the Commission and expected to be kicked off in Q2 of 2026. The Forum will map industrial, civil, and military capability, set priorities for investment and support the ramp-up of European counter-drone providers and start-ups. The Forum will allow industry suppliers as well as government purchasers to participate and to help set the direction for standards and future procurement rules.
How does the EU Counter-UAS Action Plan affect non-EU security buyers?
But the strategy doesn’t end at the EU border. Suppliers looking to operate in the EU will have to comply with the new EU Trusted Drone Label and testing procedure once these are introduced. It could also lead to a reference specification, with non-EU government buyers, and NATO partners outside the EU would be well advised to keep an eye on interoperability requirements that will be harmonized with alliance standards.
What happens if my counter-drone system is not EU-certified by 2030?
The entire regulatory framework is to be enforced by 2030. The systems that have not acquired EU certification by then are not to be purchased by the government or critical infrastructure-regulated bodies. The current period until 2030 represents a window where buyers can select compliant systems, and manufacturers must obtain certification for their systems. To delay until 2029 means there will not be enough time to either replace or recertify.