The European Union plans to make its “drone wall” fully operational by 2027 under a new Defence Readiness Roadmap, which outlines ambitious military capability goals but offers little on how they will be financed.
A leaked copy of the Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030, obtained by Euronews, reveals the EU’s detailed timeline for boosting its military capabilities as it faces a more aggressive Russia. The European Commission will officially present the plan on Thursday after months of coordination with member states to reshape the bloc’s defence policy.
The roadmap outlines nine priority areas for investment, including ammunition, drone and anti-drone systems. It identifies four major joint projects: the Eastern Flank Watch, the European Drone Wall, the Air Defence Shield, and the Defence Space Shield. The document marks the drone wall and eastern flank as the most urgent projects, setting a goal for the drone network to be integrated within a “network-based drone capability” by the end of 2027, with the eastern flank becoming functional by 2028.
According to the document, the counter-drone system will feature multi-layered and interoperable technologies for detecting, tracking, and neutralising aerial threats, as well as precision strike capabilities for ground targets. It will connect member states’ defence networks to enhance situational awareness and safeguard critical infrastructure in coordination with NATO.
The roadmap also provides new details on military mobility, aiming to establish an “EU-wide military mobility area” by 2027. This would include harmonised procedures and corridors through land, air, and sea to allow for faster movement of troops and equipment within the bloc. Currently, it can take up to 45 days for a country to approve such movements.
The Commission hopes its defence initiatives, including the proposed SAFE loan scheme, will encourage joint procurement and support the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base. Member states are urged to organise 40 percent of defence procurement jointly by 2027 and to allocate 60 percent of their defence budgets to the EDTIB and Ukraine by 2030.
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