Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are preparing to revisit a request for European Union funding for counter-drone systems, as the three Baltic states seek to strengthen protection on NATO's eastern flank. Deividas Matulionis, the Lithuanian President's National Security Adviser, said on Tuesday that the countries could raise the matter again during negotiations on the EU's next multiannual budget for 2028–2034.
“We are certainly not giving up, and we will most likely apply for potential funding again later – preferably grants rather than loans,”
Matulionis made the remarks to the news radio station Žinių radijas. His comments indicate that the Baltic governments have not abandoned their effort, despite the European Commission directing them towards existing defence-financing options rather than immediately approving the grant-based assistance they had sought.
A €500 million request
Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported in September that the defence ministers of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania had written to the European Commission asking for an urgent allocation of €500 million. The proposed money was intended to reinforce the region's ability to defend against unmanned aerial vehicles. The ministers had hoped that additional support could be made available within the year.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Countries involved | Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania |
| Funding sought | €500 million |
| Possible new funding window | EU budget negotiations for 2028–2034 |
| EU mechanism cited | SAFE defence financing instrument |
The request comes amid concerns that Russia could seek to test NATO's collective-defence commitment under Article 5 through a drone strike against the alliance's eastern members. The starting point for that concern is the growing priority assigned to countering unmanned aircraft in the region, rather than any confirmed attack described in the statements cited by the Baltic authorities.
Brussels points to SAFE loans
Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported last week that the European Commission had encouraged the three countries to use loans available through the EU's SAFE defence-financing instrument. Andrius Kubilius, the EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, said the Commission had responded to Latvia's request and that another call for applications would be announced soon.
“We have provided a response. Indeed, there are now new opportunities to use additional SAFE funds. We will announce a new call in the near future, as 21 billion euros remained available after the first call,”
Kubilius told LRT that relatively few other major funding options were available through the EU budget because the present budgetary period is nearing its end. SAFE is a European Commission loan mechanism for defence that will operate until the end of the period cited by the Commission.
LRT also reported that the Baltic states could seek money from the Integrated Border Management Fund, although the amount available through that channel would be substantially below the sum requested. For Indian defence readers, the episode places counter-drone capability within a wider question of how governments finance detection and protection systems as unmanned threats become a central concern in European security planning.
