EU wants to complete the first phase of drone regulation by 2019

The European Commission has announced that the first European rules for the use of drones should be available before 2019. A ‘blueprint’ has been drawn up for this in which the phases of the regulation are described.

The Commission recently announced that this blueprint is now available. It describes a so-called U-Space, which has a height of 150m. Within this, drones must be able to be used safely and in an environmentally friendly way, according to the Commission. The first phase of the regulation consists of the registration and electronic identification of drones and their drivers. Earlier it appeared that the rules for registration apply to drones above 250 grams. In the first phase, geofencing must also be arranged, with which software is used to determine in which areas drones are allowed to fly.

The published document shows that the implementation of the U-Space rules consists of four phases, the first of which should be ready before 2019. In the second phase, steps will be taken towards an air traffic control system for drones, as is also the case in civil aviation. In this phase, for example, services such as flight planning, approval and tracking are central. The third phase then focuses on more complex drone operations in densely populated areas, for example through daa techniques.

The fourth phase should use the full capacity of the U-Space and assumes a high degree of automation, the document said. The ‘blueprint’ is not binding and should serve as the basis for European Commission legislation. It presented its policy on drones at the end of last year.