PURPOSE: to open the
aviation market to the civil use of remotely piloted aircraft
systems.
BACKGROUND: the Commission considers that opening the European market for remotely piloted
aircraft systems (RPAS) - or the civilian use of drones - is an
important step towards the aviation market of the future. The
European Summit of 19 December 2013 called for action to enable
the progressive integration of RPAS into civil airspace from 2016
onwards.
RPAS technology has matured rapidly in past years and
is ready to make the shift from being purely military equipment to
becoming a reliable new technology for civil use.
Member States are beginning to authorise RPAS
operations in non-segregated airspace to respond to market demand.
In the short term, the most promising market lies in areas such as
infrastructure monitoring or photography; in a longer term future,
it may be the transport of goods and eventually people.
According to an industry source, the global budget
forecast in terms of research and development (R&D) and
procurement, including military and governmental, is expected to
grow from currently $5.2 bn to about $11.6 bn per year in 2023.
The number of jobs created through new RPAS activities in the US is
estimated to exceed 100,000 by 2025. For Europe, about
150,000 jobs by 2050 are forecast.
Currently, the US and Israel dominate the global RPAS
manufacturing sector. Other non-EU countries, such as Brazil,
China, India and Russia, also show potential to become strong
competitors. A strong common EU market should offer a solid
basis to compete at the global level.
CONTENT: the Communication responds to the call of the European manufacturing and
service industry to remove barriers to the introduction of RPAS in
the European single market. It sets out the Commission's views on
how to address RPAS operations in a European level policy framework
which will enable the progressive development of the commercial
RPAS market while safeguarding the public interest.
The European strategy aims at establishing a single
RPAS market to reap the societal benefits of this innovative
technology and at dealing with citizens' concerns through public
debate and protective action wherever needed.
The Commission recalls that RPAS applications can only
develop if the aircraft can fly in non-segregated airspace
without affecting the safety and the operation of the wider
civil aviation system. To this end, the EU should:
·
put in place an enabling regulatory
structure to which the major players
at the European and national levels can contribute. The European
Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is best placed to develop common
rules, using the proven EASA consultation process;
·
increase and coordinate R&D
efforts in order to keep lead times
for promising technologies as short as possible (e.g. command and
control; detect and avoid technologies; security protection against
attacks; contingency procedures; human factor issues such as
piloting). The SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) (CE SESAR) is the R&D platform building the future air
traffic management system of the Single European Sky. So it is
uniquely placed to coordinate this R&D);
·
ensure that RPAS operations do not lead to
fundamental rights being infringed:
the progressive integration of RPAS into the airspace from 2016
onwards must be accompanied by adequate public debate on the
development of measures which address societal concerns including
safety, privacy and data protection, third-party liability and
insurance or security;
·
support market development and European
industries by recourse to existing EU
instruments such as the Horizon 2020 and COSME programmes.
This strategy should provide adequate legal
certainty and offer a reliable timing, so that industry can
take investment decisions and create employment. As the RPAS market
is global by its very nature, the EU will also coordinate with
international partners.
The European Commission also intends to bring forward,
where appropriate, legislative proposals to remove legal
uncertainties that hinder the development of the European
market.