This week, Oliver Lichtenstein, Vice Chairman of the Executive Board, and Michael Wieland, Head of the Advisory Committee, were invited to participate in the European Commission’s Drone Expert Group meeting in Brussels, representing the interests of UAV DACH members and the European UAS industry.
A key focus of the meeting was how to enable safe commercial BVLOS operations at scale across Europe. Alongside discussions on existing regulatory hurdles and operational thresholds, the European Commission presented initial findings from three consultancy studies supporting the further development of the European Drone Strategy. The updated strategy is expected to be presented in November 2026. The meeting also addressed the ongoing development of the European Trusted Drone Label (ETDL), which is intended to strengthen European production capabilities while improving cybersecurity, supply-chain security and resilience.
Enabling BVLOS operations across Europe
UAV DACH supports EASA's proposal for U-Space Level 1 as a pragmatic way to enable commercial BVLOS operations across Europe. In a meeting with EASA and the European Commission on 21 September and at the Drone Expert Group, Oliver Lichtenstein and Michael Wieland set out the conditions for this support, based on positions developed through UAV DACH's member participation process:
No deadlock: Member States must be obliged to enable BVLOS operations within a set, reasonable timeframe, either through U-space Level 1 or through SORA-based operational authorisations. Refusing BVLOS operations altogether must not be an option.
Other solutions remain permitted: U-space Level 1 must complement, not replace, existing and proven pathways such as the SORA-based BVLOS authorisations issued by the German LBA. Member States should establish U-space Level 1 where no other means to enable BVLOS operations exist.
Operating altitude: Instead of a general 120-metre ceiling, U-space Level 1 should allow operations up to 1,000 ft, and at least up to the applicable VFR minima. This also enables higher flights, for example for noise abatement, and avoids concentrating unmanned traffic in a narrow band below 120 meters.
Electronic conspicuity in parallel: EASA must work in parallel towards an EU-wide electronic conspicuity mandate based on a common, interoperable ADS-L standard. Only then can U-space Level 1 reach its full potential and provide reliable awareness between crewed and uncrewed traffic.
Clear criteria for the European Trusted Drone Label
Regarding the European Trusted Drone Label, Oliver Lichtenstein and Michael Wieland welcomed the initial direction presented during the consultations. At the same time, UAV DACH stressed that the future label must provide meaningful and transparent differentiation. A European label should clearly distinguish between UAS that are genuinely manufactured in Europe using European components and systems and products for which only final assembly, packaging or software installation takes place within the EU. Transparent criteria regarding manufacturing origin, software, critical components and supply-chain control will therefore be essential for the credibility of the label.
Continued industry input requested
During the consultations, representatives of the European institutions welcomed the detailed and technically substantiated contributions provided by UAV DACH and encouraged the association to continue submitting input on regulatory or technical issues that may restrict the scaling of the European drone market.
UAV DACH will therefore continue to contribute the expertise of its members to the European regulatory process, with a particular focus on creating the conditions required for competitive European UAS manufacturing and scalable commercial BVLOS operations.