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MEPs demand better civil drone technology for safety, privacy protection

Xinhua, October 30, 2015 Adjust font size:

Members of European Parliament (MEPs) voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to revise and develop rules for the safe use of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), commonly known as drones, and called for research into technologies to guarantee safety and citizens' privacy.

Thursday's resolution called on the European Commission to support research into "detect and avoid" technologies to enable to drones to avoid collisions with other aircraft or grounded objects.

The text also encouraged further development of "geo-fencing" technology to prevent drones from entering no-fly zones such as found around airports and power plants.

To protect against privacy breaches and crime, MEPs advocated policies that required ID chips and registration protocols be put in place for RPAS in order to facilitate investigations into both crimes and accidents involving drones.

According to the European Commission, drones have been increasing in commercial and recreational use, representing 10 percent of the European aviation market and an industry of up to 15 billion euros (16.45 billion U.S. dollars) per year throughout the EU.

Rapporteur Jacqueline Foster (European Conservatives and Reformists Group, United Kingdom) said: "Drones are used to monitor railway lines, power plants, farmers' crops, as well as at rock concerts and football stadia," before underlining the increasing use of drones in humanitarian crises and particularly in search and rescue operations.

In their resolution, MEPs outlined the need to foster growth in the drone sector, while maintaining regulatory standards to ensure safety and accountability.

Accordingly, Thursday's resolution supports European Commission plans to propose EU-wide rules that would resolve current problems caused by varying national regulations that are not mutually recognized between member states, affecting both oversight and competitiveness.

The resolution also proposed rules to distinguish between "professional" and "recreational" use. Endit