The end of anonymous drones in the EU? Brussels wants to change the regulations

The European Commission announced on Wednesday that it will tighten the requirements for owning drones, e.g. without registering the drone, it will not be possible to launch it. The EC also wants to encourage member states to use the 5G network to detect and track drones.

These announcements were included in the drone action plan published by the European Commission on Wednesday, which is intended, on the one hand, to increase the detection of unmanned aerial vehicles and, on the other hand, to enable the development of the drone market in the EU. The plan is a civilian complement to EC initiatives in the defense area, including the construction of the so-called drone wall.

According to the EC, by the end of 2024, the number of registered drone operators in the EU will exceed two million, which is an increase of about 20%. in just one year. However, the number of unregistered unmanned aerial vehicles has also increased rapidly, which, in the EC's opinion, increases the risk of their misuse, because the models available on store shelves can be easily adapted to carry out hybrid operations.

An EU official told reporters that the development of drone technologies has led to this the current regulations requiring the registration of models weighing over 250 g are very outdated. – We see many drones on offer that weigh 249 g – he added.

The European Commission announced a drone safety package that will adapt the regulations to the current security realities. The EC is to propose it in the third quarter of this year. The registration obligation will be extended to all drones weighing over 100 g. Without entering a special identification number, drones will not be able to take off. The package will also include a proposal to introduce the “EU Trusted Drone” mark to identify safe equipment on the market.

The EC also wants to use cellular technology to detect unmanned aerial vehicles. To this end, it issued an invitation to capitals to express interest in testing and implementing detection based on 5G technology. These networks are intended to track flying objects in real time. This includes: o enabling the detection of drones at higher altitudes than currently possible and ensuring the ability to distinguish registered from unregistered drones. (PAP)

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