Lithuania to use national funds for "drone wall" program after EU refusal

Lithuanian authorities will be forced to use budget funds after the EU refused to provide money for the implementation of their proposed border protection program using the so-called "drone wall" — unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The country's presidential advisor, Irena Segalovičienė, made the remarks on the air of the radio station "Žinių radijas," Caliber.Az reports.

"Although we did not receive funding for our idea, this does not mean that we are abandoning it," she said. "There are other possibilities, including state budget options."

Lithuania submitted the funding request together with Estonia. The project aims to create a regional cooperation system for information exchange in case of detection of UAVs from unfriendly countries and their neutralization.

The total cost of the initiative, proposed in May 2024 and rejected by the EU in March of this year, amounts to €12 million. Estonia would have received €4 million, while other participants would have received €2.5 million each.

Following Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are trying to counter potential military threats from the Russian Federation and Belarus.

Lithuania last year approved a program to strengthen and develop civil defense. It includes the creation of new shelters, a warning system, a special mobile application and funding of €285 million. The country also began building a military base where German soldiers will be stationed.

In January 2024, the Estonian Ministry of Defense announced that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania would create a joint defense line on the border with Russia to “deter and, if necessary, defend against a military threat”. They requested €2.5 billion in EU funding for this.

By Khagan Isayev