COLOGNE, Germany -- A mandate adopted by the Council of the European Union last week updates the continent's aviation safety rules to better prepare for emerging technologies like unmanned aerial vehicles.
The new rule is intended to give the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) the ability to more easily provide guidance to what executive director Patrick Ky called "unprecedented technological transformation", while also giving it the authority to collaborate with EU member states.
"It was important to provide EASA with the proper tools and legal foundation to support the development of the aviation industry, in particular in domains like drones and digitalization," Ky said. "At the same time, we need to preserve the European society aspirations for a safer and environmentally friendly world."
Called the "New Basic Regulation", the rule also strengthens EASA's role in areas including environmental protection, research and development, international cooperation and aviation cybersecurity.
The regulation will be published in the EU's official journal by the end of July, and will become effective in the coming months.
The final text of the New Basic Regulation can be found here.
