EU to establish drone hubs drawing on Ukraine’s battlefield experience
Latvia and the Netherlands will host the pilot centers in 2027, alongside EU efforts to deepen defense industry cooperation with Kyiv.
The European Union plans to establish two pilot drone technology centers in 2027 using expertise gained by Ukraine during the war, EU Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said on Oct. 30. The sites will be located in the Netherlands and Latvia.
Addressing NATO’s FUSE event in Riga, Dombrovskis also said the bloc intends to conclude a defense industry pact with Ukraine before 2026 ends. He said the agreement would ease technology transfers and the creation of joint ventures, while bringing Ukraine’s defense industry closer to Europe’s.
The planned centers belong to DECODER, a defense initiative led by the EU to expand European drone manufacturing capacity. Norway and Ukraine are involved in the project, although neither country belongs to the bloc.
Dombrovskis said Ukraine’s combat experience could help Europe innovate faster and strengthen its drone systems. He identified cooperation with Kyiv as an advantage in developing both drones and counter-drone technology, and pointed to a newly established EU-Ukraine alliance designed to connect their drone manufacturers.
