Lithuania and neighboring countries agree to strengthen resilience against drone and balloon threats

Lithuania’s Interior Minister Vladislavas Kondratovičius participated in a meeting of Baltic Sea region ministers on Thursday, where discussions focused on security issues and strengthening regional resilience, BNS reports.

During the meeting, Lithuania, alongside Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Poland, and Sweden, issued a joint statement on enhancing cooperation to counter threats posed by unmanned aerial vehicles, weather balloons, and other unpiloted objects.

The countries agreed to collaborate on ensuring greater attention to hybrid threats and resilience in the future EU budget. According to the Interior Ministry, the nations expressed a commitment to strengthening drone and anti-drone system capabilities, conducting joint exercises, expanding information sharing, implementing pilot projects, and promoting joint public procurement, scientific research, and innovation.

They also aim to deepen cooperation with Ukraine, leveraging its practical experience in countering aerial threats and protecting critical infrastructure.

“Our security environment has fundamentally changed in recent years. Drones, balloons, and other unpiloted objects are no longer isolated incidents—they are part of a broader hybrid action model aimed at disrupting our states, creating uncertainty, and exerting psychological pressure on societies. Therefore, we must act without delay and strengthen Europe’s preparedness and resilience,” Kondratovičius said.

The ministers also emphasized the need to accelerate the implementation of the EU’s Drone and Counter-Drone Security Action Plan, presented by the European Commission in February. Lithuania considers the measures outlined in the plan important but stresses that their implementation must be significantly faster, as threats are already present at the EU’s external borders.

Kondratovičius highlighted regional cooperation priorities, including the creation of a joint situation monitoring system covering the entire Baltic Sea region’s airspace, strengthening the response chain from threat detection to neutralization, improving coordination between civilian and military institutions, and more actively involving EU agencies such as Europol and Frontex.

He underscored the importance of securing sufficient funding for new technologies, innovations, and capacity building, particularly in the EU’s 2028–2034 multiannual financial framework, which should adequately reflect the security needs of Eastern EU border states and the challenges posed by hybrid threats.

Recent months have seen an increase in airspace violations in the Baltic states, with air danger declared in parts of Lithuania due to potential drone threats.