The joint Drone Helsinki Declaration is a result of the Helsinki High Level Conference on Drones 2017, which took place on October 22-23 and was hosted by the Finnish Transport Safety Agency (Trafi) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
The declaration consists of the following topics:
Industry should start delivering the drone services market
Stressed the need for EU leadership and European competitiveness to achieve further steps towards the digitalization of the economy, based on software-based solutions and high-quality data.
Timely delivery of an enabling regulatory framework.
Noted with concern a growing fragmentation along national boundaries of the EU drone services market, also due to security considerations, indicating the urgent need for close cooperation between European and national authorities.
Learn from bottom-up initiatives
Observed that public acceptance of drones relies on safety, security, privacy and environmental protection being effectively tested and subsequently deployed in “real-life” locations and scenarios.
Driving and prioritizing R&D drone projects
Invited industry to further invest in projects contributing to the safe integration of drones. Stressed the importance of the role of the private-public partnership approach for R&D.
Conclusions
Called for clear and simple rules that keep the burden for citizens, operators and authorities as light as possible, and that lower the threshold for entering the EU drone services and U-Space markets.
Confirmed the commitment of all stakeholders present to open the EU drone services market by 2019 by working in parallel and with maximum cooperation on three pillars:
The legal requirements for drones and drone operations, for the safe and effective use of the airspace, and for the delivery of cost-effective U-Space services;
Further investment in demonstrators that systematically help to open the drone services market, as well as in longer term R&D projects that prepare for more autonomous vehicles and more dense traffic;
An effective standard setting process that is adapted for fast evolving digital technologies from all sectors, and uses and adapts existing standards while available.
You can see the full text of the declaration here.