EU Commission proposes expanding 'drone wall' plan to protect more areas, sources say

By Andrew Gray and Lili Bayer

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Commission has proposed expanding an initiative for a "drone wall" on Europe's eastern flank to protect all of the continent after some regions said they felt left out, two EU officials and an EU diplomat told Reuters on Tuesday.

The proposal for a broader "European Drone Defence Initiative" will be included in a "defence readiness roadmap" to be presented on Thursday by the Commission, the European Union's executive body, the sources said on condition of anonymity.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed the "drone wall" after about 20 Russian drones entered the airspace of EU and NATO member Poland last month.

Commission officials said the idea was to counter future incursions by building a network of sensors, electronic jamming systems and weapons, from the Baltic states to the Black Sea.

Eastern European states welcomed her proposal, but countries in southern and western Europe said it neglected drone threats in their part of the continent.

European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius hinted that a change was in the works on Tuesday by using both the old and new names for the project at a speech at a defence conference in Brussels.

"We propose the European drone wall... er... European Drone Defence Initiative, an anti-drone network to protect all Europe, and other defence flagship projects," he said.

(Reporting by Andrew Gray and Lili Bayer, Editing by Inti Landauro and Timothy Heritage)