Regulating drones : creating European regulation that is smart and proportionate

The proliferation of civil drones is a widespread phenomenon and the trend is likely to continue. This creates a regulatory gap as rules addressing drones specifically are still mostly absent. On the one hand, the risks posed by drones are becoming more visible: possible encounters with civil aviation, threats to security, invasion of privacy, etc. On the other hand, the drone sector has enormous economic growth potential and many of the benefits of drones cannot be enjoyed unless rules are established that allow the use of drones also for commercial operations. The 7th Florence Air Forum addressed this regulatory challenge by discussing with the relevant stakeholders. It firstly addressed what regulatory approach is needed – most importantly what regulation wants to achieve and how to do this. It then addressed how to integrate drones in the existing structure of aviation regulation and more specifically the existing framework for Air Traffic Control. Finally it looked more closely at the local enforcement level: basic rules will most likely be decided on the supranational level yet enforcing them is a big challenge for local authorities. Amongst other it emerged that technology may be the key component to many concerns posed by drones: automated collision avoidance system, geofencing and other technologies exist but need to be further developed, validated and standardized.