With numerous concrete applications, drones should be part of every European’s daily life by 2030, according to the European Commission, which has adopted a new drone strategy to help achieve that goal.
The EU already has a broad safety framework for operating drones, which fly hundreds of thousands of hours to take photos, map infrastructure and check oil spills, for example.
However, the European Commission wants to use innovative technology to fully integrate the unmanned aircraft into everyday life in Europe.
By 2030, according to Transport Commissioner Adina Valean, it should be possible for emergency, delivery and security services, for example, to make wide use of the devices.
The Romanian commissioner is also considering “innovative air mobility services” such as air cabs. These would initially still be able to offer passenger transport with a pilot on board, but in the longer term would be fully automated.
Need for societal buy-in
To unlock the potential it sees in the drone market, the Commission wants to encourage the use of artificial intelligence, robotics, semiconductors, space services and mobile telecommunications. This would give Europe an innovative and competitive drone market and make the European Union less strategically dependent.
The Commission is also considering synergies between the civilian and military use of drones. It plans to come up with some 20 concrete initiatives to create the right regulatory framework and social context to encourage their use.
However, it says, it is also aware of the need to ensure societal support for drones.
“Citizens are concerned about noise, safety and privacy,” is an oft-heard argument, so the Commission wants the various levels of government – national, regional and local – to strictly tailor drone services to the needs of their citizens.
Citizens' safety expectations need to be taken into account
“With the advent of a new generation of electric-powered aircraft for use in cities and regions, we must ensure that both the commercial needs of operators and the safety and security expectations of citizens are taken into account," said Commissioner Valean. "We must also ensure safety in our airspace."
She also sees commercial opportunities in the wide use of drones, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.
“With the right framework, the European market for drone services could be worth €14.5 billion and create 145,000 jobs by 2030,” Valean feels.
