The rules that set out the framework for the safe operation of civil drones in Europe are laid out in EU Regulations 2019/947 and 2019/945. They adopt a risk-based approach, and as such, do not distinguish between leisure or commercial civil drone activities. What they consider is the weight and the specifications of the civil drone and the operation it is intended to conduct.
Regulation (EU) 2019/947, which is applicable since 31 December 2020 in all EU Member States, including Norway and Liechtenstein (it is expected that it will soon become applicable in Switzerland and Iceland too), caters for most types of civil drone operations and their levels of risk. It defines three categories of civil drone operations: the ‘open’, the ‘specific’ and the ‘certified’ category.
The rules are made up of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, and the related acceptable means of compliance (AMC) and guidance material (GM), as well as Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and on third-country operators of UAS.
The rule set with the AMC and GM are more easily read and understood in the Easy Access Rules format, which are always kept updated.