Activites

• 2015/10/29 Debate in plenary scheduled
• 2015/09/25 Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • A8-0261/2015 summary

    The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted an own-initiative report by Jacqueline FOSTER (ECR, UK) on the safe use of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), commonly known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), in the field of civil aviation. Stressing the global dimension of piloted aircraft systems and that all the Member States have some RPAS activities, either in manufacturing and/or operationally, Members considered that the RPAS sector urgently requires European and global rules in order to ensure cross-border RPAS development. A clear European legal framework is needed to ensure investment and development of a competitive European RPAS sector. Moreover, Members believed that this framework might assist the discussions on global rule making for the use of drones. Key issues: recalling the economic importance of this sector, Members stressed that all EU policies should take account of the following aspects: the need to put in place suitable policies to protect privacy and ensure data protection, safety and security, which are proportionate to their aim while not imposing an unnecessary burden on SMEs; the establishment of a clear distinction between professional and recreational use of remotely piloted aircraft; the fact that safety and security are paramount for any RPAS operations and rules and that they must be commensurate with the risks. In this regard, the report supports the five essential principles for future RPAS development set out in the Riga Declaration: RPAS need to be treated as new types of aircraft with proportionate rules based on the risk of each operation; EU rules for the safe provision of RPAS services need to be developed to enable the industry to invest; technology and standards need to be developed to enable the full integration of RPAS into European airspace; public acceptance is key to the growth of RPAS services; the operator of an RPAS is responsible for its use. Stressing the importance of ‘out-of-sight’ flights for the development of the sector, Members considered that European legislation should favour this modus operandi. In the long term, technical and regulatory solutions should preferably enable RPAS to use the airspace alongside any other airspace user without imposing on the latter new equipment requirements. Future solutions: Members considered that future European and global rules on RPAS should address issues relating to: airworthiness; certification specifications; commercial and recreational use; the identity of the drone and the owner/operator; the approval of training organisations for pilots; training and licensing of pilots; operations; liability and insurance; data protection and privacy; ‘geo-fencing’; no-fly (exclusion) zones. Furthermore, the report concentrated on the following points: training provided to professional users and owners of RPAS, it includes specific training on data protection and privacy; RPAS flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) must be equipped with ‘detect-and-avoid’ technology in order to detect aircraft using the same airspace, ensuring that RPAS do not put at risk the safety of manned aircraft, and in addition, take into account densely-populated areas, no-fly zones, such as airports; Taking into account the expected economic spin-offs from this sector, the EU should favour the development of European technologies, for example through Horizon 2020; RPAS in line with a risk-based approach should be equipped with an ID chip and registered to ensure traceability, accountability and a proper implementation of civil liability rules; the use of RPAS by law enforcement and intelligence services must respect the fundamental right to privacy, data protection, freedom of movement and freedom of expression; the data protection authorities of the Member States should share existing specific data protection guidance for commercial RPAS. In addition, the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems (JARUS) which is an international voluntary membership body comprising national civil aviation authorities from 22 EU and non-EU countries and regulatory agencies/bodies could ensure that any future EU rules will be coordinated with international arrangements in other countries, through a process of mutual recognition. Members took the view that the Parliament must establish its position prior to the Commission’s adoption of its aviation package, thereby responding to the industry call for clear guidance. They called on the TRAN and LIBE committees to arrange a joint hearing with representatives of industry, national privacy protection organisations, the European Data Protection Supervisor, the Commission, and NGOs working in the area of fundamental rights.

• 2015/09/15 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
• 2015/01/15 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 2014/04/08 Non-legislative basic document published
  • COM(2014)0207 summary

    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.

  • DG {'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/transport/index_en.htm', 'title': 'Mobility and Transport'}, BULC Violeta

Documents

• Non-legislative basic document published: COM(2014)0207
• Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A8-0261/2015

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)