The European Commission has presented an action plan to promote safe UAS operations and combat illegal drone activities. This initiative responds to demands from the European Parliament and member states. However, it’s not only a matter of safety and threat prevention; it is also a crucial foundation for leveraging the economic benefits of unmanned systems and establishing a globally competitive UxS industry in Europe.

To enable commercial drone use, appropriate measures must also be taken to protect airspace from abusive UAS operations. This task has become more relevant and urgent amid increased sightings of illegally operated unmanned aerial systems around airports, critical infrastructure, and military sites. At the same time, the public debate has impressively highlighted that simple, quick solutions are not enough. The potential threat scenarios are too complex, and the jurisdictional issues are too heterogeneous.

Against this background, the EU Commission has now presented an action plan that addresses not only the detection and defense against hostile drones but also strengthens European resilience in terms of innovation and technology in the field of unmanned systems. The document, spanning over 20 pages, lists general and specific measures that can be broadly categorized into the areas of „Prepare“, „Detect“, „Respond“, and „Strengthen“.

Blurring boundaries

In principle, airspace and its protection fall within the sovereign responsibilities of nation-states. However, the boundaries are blurring – not only in the air. Regarding the UAS industry, the transition between military and civilian products, as well as regulatory and policy jurisdictional questions, is not clearly defined. Furthermore, a diffuse security situation exists with various state and private actors on both sides. Therefore, the EU Commission argues t…