In response to recent sightings of drones that disrupted air traffic in Copenhagen and in the Danish city of Aalberg, Denmark is bringing together European leaders in the capital on October 1-2 for two summits on security and defense.
Sweden and Germany are providing extra anti-drone protection to their neighbor ahead of the meetings, the first of which will focus on the build-up of European defense alongside Ukraine and include the leaders of all 27 European Union member states.
The European Commission sent out a discussion paper, seen by RFE/RL, on what military projects the bloc should highlight for the next five years with the goal of agreeing on a more detailed roadmap when the leaders meet again in Brussels at the end of October.
Right at the start, the paper eliminates any doubt about why the Continent needs to spend more on defense, saying: "The need for speeding up and ramping up of efforts reflects the acute and growing nature of today's dangers, as well as the evolving threat landscape which Europe and its Member States must contend with, adapt to, and prepare for. This starts with Russia's unprovoked, full-scale military aggression against Ukraine, which is reaching new heights of brutality and violence. Reckless provocations against Member States, from cyberattacks to violation of air space, are on the rise."
The document outlines four flagship projects that Brussels should be fund: the European Drone Wall, the Eastern Flank Watch, the Air Defense Shield, and the Defense Space Shield. It states that especially the first two "require special urgency and should be moved forward expediently."
While details will be hashed out in the near future, notably by the bloc's defense minister, the text says the drone wall "will be designed as a multilayered, deep zone of technologically advanced systems with interoperable anti-drone capabilities for detection, tracking, and neutralization, as well as capabilities to hit ground targets leveraging drone technology for precision strikes."
It also notes the EU should tap into Ukraine's know-how on this issue with European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen on September 30 saying the commission agreed to fund Ukrainian drone production to the tune of 2 billion euros ($2.4 billion).
The Eastern Flank Watch is an even more ambitious project aimed not only at drones but at countering Russia's so-called shadow fleet, other types of hybrid operations inside the EU, and even classic, armed aggression.
The text states that "it aims to fortify the Eastern borders as regards land, air and sea threats, contributing to the security of the whole Union" and is built on four elements: ground defense such as fortification and anti-mobility systems, the European drone wall, maritime security in the Baltic and Black Seas, and space-based situational awareness.
No concrete costs are mentioned, but it is worth nothing the European Commission has proposed that 131 billion euros should be dedicated to defense projects in its proposal for the next multiannual (2028-2034) EU budget.
Earlier this year Brussels also provided a 150 billion euro loan known as SAFE to boost defense production across the bloc. So far 19 EU member states have tapped into this financial pot, with Poland and Romania set to be the biggest recipients.
On Ukraine, the leaders are not expected to agree on the new sanctions package proposed earlier in September. Some capitals, for example, are still balking at the proposal to phase out all Russian liquified natural gas by 2027.
On continued EU financing for Kyiv, the leaders hope to hear more from the Von der Leyen on her new idea for a 140 billion euro "reparations loan."
They will also discuss how to break the deadlock on the war-torn country's EU accession path with Hungary for over a year, blocking the opening of talks over what Budapest claims are the lack of minority rights for Hungarian-speakers in Ukraine.
The president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, has floated the idea of changing the general EU accession methodology so that the opening of accession chapters is done via qualified majority (55 of member states representing 65 percent of the total EU population) and only the closing of negotiations require unanimity.
Such a change would need green light from all EU capitals, including Budapest, which seems unlikely -- although a senior EU official previewing the summit to media representatives noted that Costa "doesn't have the impression it is completely impossible."
The second day, October 2, will see EU leaders team up with non-EU European leaders for the biannual European Political Community (EPC) summit. The EPC rarely decides on things, but given that the heads of governments of the entire Continent -- bar Belarus, Russia, and the Vatican -- are gathering in the same place for six or seven hours of "political speed-dating," some interesting takeaways are bound to emerge.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to be there, and, seeing as this isn't an official EU gathering, an invite was extended to contested Georgian Prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze. Brussels decided after the controversial Georgian parliamentary elections in October last year to cut high-level political contacts with Tbilisi, something most representatives of the bloc tend to observe.
Apart from an EPC plenary session and plenty of time for bilaterals, the leaders will break for three working groups themed Security and Resilience: Traditional and New Threats, Economic Security; Reducing European Dependencies, and Migration: Effective Control of Migratory Flows. The discussion note for the latter reflects a growing trend on the Continent away from a more liberal approach to immigration toward stricter policies emphasizing border controls and combatting people smuggling.
For example, the text, seen by RFE/RL, asks, "Where should EPC countries concentrate our efforts to accelerate the implementation of new and innovative solutions, including with countries of origin and transit?" and "How do we ensure effective returns and more effective deportations of criminal foreign nationals?"
