On 17 October 2019, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced the launch of a European Drone Investment – Advisory Platformto support innovation and investment in drones. The initiative, which aims to improve access to EU support in this field, follows the adoption of new rulesto ensure increasing drone traffic across Europe is safe for people, in order to strengthen the competitiveness of the EU’s aviation industry.

Unmanned aircrafts, and drones in particular, will play a fundamental role in the future of aviation being able, among other things, to monitor traffic, to carry out inspections and to offer smart mobility solutions. Therefore,the current financial framework already includes EU financing options, such as Investment Plan for Europe, Horizon 2020 and Connecting Europe Facility. 

The launch of the platform will be followed by a study to be managed by the European Investment Advisory Hub (EIAH) that will evaluate the market potential and investment needs across the EU Member States. Its results, in particular, will highlight the possible future mechanisms of support to be eventually integrated in the future EU Multiannual Financial Framework programme.

Marco Stillo