EU laws concerning drones by Rachel Junemann, legal consultant for the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport
The purpose of laws here is to standardize the procedures and requirements for drones to operate and for providing support to integrate unmanned systems into the existing ecosystem. Everybody likes drones and more and more people are beginning to use them, so rules and regulations must be put in place
EU Regulation 2019/947 classified drones into 3 categories
- Open
- Take-off mass of < 25 kg
- Flight altitude of < 120 m
- LoS of remote pilot required
- Safe distance from people
- Overflight of crowds not allowed
- Dangerous goods transport is not allowed
- No operating license is required to fly the drone. However, the pilot should possess a certificate of competence (EU Cert. of Competence/EU Remote Pilot Certificate)
- Specific
- This is important if the open category requirements are not met
- Operation can be performed only after a thorough risk assessment and approval by a competent authority. Applications to the locally responsible aviation authority (LBI)
- Quite complicated
- Certified
- Overflight of crowds is allowed (can fly over massive crowds)
- Dangerous goods may be transported
- Passengers can also be present inside the drone (on-board) - Not present now but this is a future-ready thing
- It’s challenging to get a certificate to pilot a drone in this category
Upon registering, an operator will receive a unique electronic registration number called an EID number that they can attach to their drones. All drones are subject to mandatory insurance to cover for potential damages EU 2019/947 Article 15 - Geographical zone definitions