BRUSSELS, Oct 15 (Reuters) – The European Commission will propose on Thursday that a new counter-drone initiative should be fully functional by the end of 2027, according to a document seen by Reuters. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last month it was time for Europe to build a "drone wall" to protect its eastern flank, hours after some 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace. The concept has since morphed into a broader "European Drone Defence Initiative" including a continent-wide web of anti-drone systems in an effort to win support from EU capitals. The proposal, set to be included in a defence policy "roadmap" to be presented on Thursday, will aim for the new anti-drone capabilities to reach initial capacity by the end of next year and become fully operational by the end of 2027, according to a draft of the document. (Reporting by Andrew Gray and Lili Bayer; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
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