EU moves to give Estonia nearly 32 million euros for border surveillance

Estonia is set to receive nearly 32 million euros from the European Union to strengthen drone detection and air surveillance along its eastern border, ERR reported. The European Commission has made a preliminary decision to provide the support.

The Police and Border Guard Board will develop a layered, integrated system in cooperation with the Defence Forces. It is intended to improve monitoring of the land and river border, including border crossing points, and help prevent illegal border crossings, smuggling, misuse of unmanned aircraft and illegal migration.

The system will include radars, cameras, drone-detection equipment and supporting IT systems, Interior Minister Igor Taro said. The investment will improve the authorities’ ability to detect and assess potential threats and respond quickly, he added.

Veiko Kommusaar, deputy director general of the Police and Border Guard Board for border management, said the system would give authorities a more comprehensive picture of activity on land, on the Narva River and in the airspace. The aim is to improve how quickly and accurately they can identify and assess threats, he said.

The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2029. EU funding will come through the bloc’s Border Management and Visa Policy instrument, with Estonia contributing an additional 10 percent of the cost.