Minister Anušić from Brussels: Croatia Has Made the Most Progress in the Production of FPV drones | Photo: EU
Minister Anušić from Brussels: Croatia Has Made the Most Progress in the Production of FPV drones
Third Meeting of the Coordination Group for Drones and Counter-Drone Systems lto be Held on 15 January in Croatia
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ivan Anušić participated in the meeting of Defence Ministers of the European Union member states in Brussels on Monday, 1 December 2025, as part of the Foreign Affairs Council.
The Council discussed EU support for Ukraine, the defence readiness of the European Union and the current security situation.
During the discussions on defence readiness, the lead nations of the coordination groups for procurement projects financed under the SAFE instrument reported on current and planned activities in the nine Priority Capability Areas (PCAs).
The most substantial progress was recorder in the Coordination Group for Drones and Counteri-Drone Systems, led by Croatia, the Netherlands and Latvia, as wel as in the Coordination Group for Ammunition and Missiles, led by Germany. Both were commended by Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
On the margins of the Council meeting, a trilateral meeting was held between the Croatian and Dutch Defence Ministers and the Parliamentary Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Defence to agree on next steps for the Coordination Group.
“Today we held the second meeting of our group, the first took place in Amsterdam. With regard to co-provision, Croatia is the most advanced in the production of FPV drones. Our priority is for Croatia to serve as the lead nation in their production and joint procurement, as we have all the necessary prerequisites. Croatia produces FPV drones that are entirely Croatian products. We can soon increase our annual production capacity to half a million FPV drones. With the quantities we produce, we can meet the needs of EU and NATO members,” Minister Anušić said in Brussels.
The third meeting of the Coordination Group will be held at Croatia’s invitation on 15 January in Zagreb, with all EU and NATO member states, as well as EU institutions, invited to attend. Minister Anušić explained that the group’s remit covers the production and joint procurement of all unmanned systems, from FPV drones to unmanned vehicles.
“Croatia has the knowledge and technology and currently produces around two hundred thousand FPV drones per year. Dozens of countries in the world use our drones,” said Minister Anušić.
The Minister emphasised that a key priority of the Ministry of Defence and the Government of the Republic of Croatia is to strengthen and integrate the Croatian defence industry within European supply chains, thereby enhancing defence self-sufficiency, autonomy and capacity.
“Croatia is involvine several of our defence companies in joint procurement efforts: Orqa and DOK-ING in the area of FPV drones and unmanned systems, as well as Šestan-Busch, HS Produkt, Končar in their respective areas of capability,” concluded Minister Anušić.
