In this interview, the new President of the Alliance for New Mobility Europe (AME) - Andres van Swalm - talks about the opportunities and challenges. The goal is to create a European market for all players in air mobility in Europe: For suppliers and users, private and public, with a focus on the integration of UAVs and VTOLs into aviation. In this interview, the new AME President, Andres van Swalm, talks about the opportunities and challenges.
Where do we currently stand in Europe in terms of drone regulation and market development?
Europe has made strong progress in establishing a harmonized regulatory framework for drones, particularly through EU 2019/947 and EU 2021/664. EU 2019/947 is a risk-based regulation under EASA’s common rules, covering both open-category and specific-category operations. This makes sense: a small, 1 kg flapping-wing drone used for bird control near an airport cannot be treated the same as a 1,000 kg drone delivering parcels in remote areas with no people around.
The regulation is progressive but also complex. Countries still interpret and apply risk assessments differently, so harmonization is essential. Regulators also face a steep learning curve, as onboarding takes time. The drone industry is growing exponentially compared to manned aviation, which evolved over 125 years. That’s why we, as an industry, are calling for more harmonization, digitization, and automation of regulatory processes.
For higher air-risk operations, the U-space Regulation (EU 2021/664) introduces a new layer of complexity by, for the first time, creating a competitive market for traffic management services – something that does not exist in manned aviation. In U-space, common information services provide unique, non-duplicable data such as defining geographical zones, while U-space service providers compete to deliver traffic management services in the same overlapping airspace. U-space “bubbles,” comparable to controlled airspace (CTR) for manned aircraft, are set up in high-risk areas where common procedures are needed to bring the air-risk of SORA assessments to an acceptable level.
These regulations are positive and forward-looking, but adoption is slow. EASA and Member States often face resource constraints, which is why closer cooperation between industry, authorities, and even defense stakeholders will be key to speeding things up.
From a market perspective, the industry is developing at high speed. The days when fly-aways were common are long gone, replaced by highly reliable platforms with advanced safety features.
The U-space Regulation came into force on January 26, 2023. Why are there still no officially established U-space airspaces in operation?
The main reason is complexity. Having the regulation in place is only the first step; implementing it requires extensive coordination. Many Member States, including EASA, are understaffed, which slows things further.
That said, SESAR JU projects such as BURDI in Belgium and U-ELCOME in Spain and Italy are helping to accelerate implementation. These initiatives bring Member States and industry together around a shared goal: enabling drones to fly safely in a regulated U-space environment in line with EU 2019/947 and EU 2021/664.
Establishing U-space is no small task. U-space (UTM) systems – including both Common Information Services (CIS) and U-space Services (USSP) – must be fully aligned with the regulation and its Acceptable Means of Compliance and Guidance Material. Certification processes for both USSP and CIS must also be completed. Additionally, an Airspace Risk Assessment needs to define the exact U-space conditions before the airspace can be formally established. With no best practices to follow, these must be developed from scratch – a challenge not to be underestimated.
The good news is that in Spain and Belgium, certification work for CIS and USSP and preparations for operational U-space airspaces are already well advanced. They are expected to be ready by the end of this year or early next year. These examples should serve as models to replicate across Europe. Now, we need more SESAR JU–type projects with real operational use cases to speed up U-space establishment in more locations and unlock its benefits sooner.
What are the advantages of better combining civil and military facilities?
Better integration creates efficiencies, improves safety, and fosters innovation. In today’s global security climate, it’s more important than ever to adapt dual-use systems more easily – something that was far more difficult in the past. Defense investments can often be leveraged for civilian use as well. History proves this: many technologies started in the military before becoming part of everyday life – GPS being a prime example.
From an airspace perspective, military and civilian drone operators will inevitably share the same skies. That’s why it makes sense to align processes and systems so they can work seamlessly together. They don’t need to be identical – the military has unique needs and advantages – but greater alignment reduces conflicts, improves situational awareness, and strengthens both security and operational efficiency.
What about funding? Is the European drone industry being held back by a lack of it?
Funding is a key driver in how quickly Europe can move from regulations and pilot projects to large-scale drone operations. We already have a strong regulatory framework and promising implementation efforts, such as BURDI in Belgium and U-ELCOME in Spain and Italy. These projects show that when Member States and industry work closely on real operational cases, progress is faster and results are better. The more projects like these we create, the more we can replicate success across Europe.
NATO’s call for Member States to allocate 5% of GDP to defense, with 1.5% for security-related domains, is also a big opportunity. Drones clearly fit into this category as both a strategic capability and a security concern. If part of this 1.5% is directed toward funding dual-use systems and improving civil-military integration, adoption could speed up significantly while also boosting security and resilience.
The technology is ready, the regulations are in place, and the market is growing quickly. With consistent, targeted funding, Europe can turn its role as a regulatory leader into a position as a global leader in drone operations.
What do you hope to achieve by integrating the defense topic more closely into XPONENTIAL Europe?
My aim is to build a stronger bridge between the civil and military drone communities. In today’s global security environment, both sides face many of the same challenges – from shared airspace to hybrid threats – and many of the same opportunities, especially in dual-use systems.
XPONENTIAL Europe is the perfect place to bring these communities together. It makes it easier to exchange knowledge, align processes where it makes sense, and speed up the adoption of innovations that benefit both defense and civilian operations.
Interview: Sonja Buske
