Less prejudices. More trust. With its Action Plan on Drone and Counter Drone Security, the European Commission is responding to violations of shared airspace by illegal UAS operations near critical infrastructure facilities and to drone sightings around commercial airports. However, the EU plans also show that safety in lower airspace can be ensured without restricting commercial UAS operations.
“We are pleased that our specific demands have been largely incorporated into the action plan,” says Dr. Gerald Wissel, CEO of UAV DACH, referring to a position paper published at the end of 2025 for effective and efficient drone detection and defense. In it, the European Association for Unmanned Aviation called for, among other things, a uniform European air situation picture, the establishment of a European center of excellence for drone detection and defense, and public funding to strengthen industry-related research and development. For example, with a view to the multi-sensor technologies required to detect uncooperative airspace participants.
“This action plan is a good start, but further efforts are needed to create a suitable legal and economic framework for commercial UAS operations,” says Dr. Gerald Wissel. “For example, ADS-L should be made a mandatory requirement for certification with the EU Trusted Drone Label proposed by the European Commission.”
More about the European Commission's “Action Plan on Drone and Counter Drone Security”
In the Photo: Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the EU Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy (Image: EU-Kommission / Audiovisual Service)