On February 23, 2022, the Bulgarian Aviation Industry Association (BAIA) took part in the first General Assembly of the Joint European Drone Associations (JEDA). Our country was represented by the company Unmanned Systems Bulgaria.
During the meeting, the tasks ahead of JEDA and how to get the most out of the synergy of everyone’s membership were discussed, Unmanned Systems Bulgaria said.
Working expert groups are to be approved and active communication with European structures – AABEC, EC, Eurocontrol, etc. is to be initiated in order to speed up the development and implementation of U-Space in the European airspace, as well as to shape the regulations concerning unmanned aerial systems and air traffic control in a common controlled environment. We would like to remind you that Bulgaria became part of JEDA on the very day of its foundation – on 15 October 2021. The members of the Association are Albadron (Albanian Drone Association), APANT (Spain), ASSORPAS (Italy), BAIA (Bulgaria), BDF (Belgium), DRONEA and EAC (Estonia), EUKA (Flemish Drone Federation), FDPC, H.U.S.I. (Hellenic U-Space Institute), LARPAS (Latvia), RPAS (Finland), UAAI (Ireland) and UAV DACH. The establishment of JEDA was necessitated by the significantly growing number of UAS operators as well as companies investing in the production, analysis and development of drones, and also the expansion of services for UAS operators in different parts of Europe.
The organization will provide full support with regard to regulatory norms concerning everyone in any way related to the drone industry and its deployment in the shared airspace. JEDA will focus its efforts on establishing common rules for UAV users in the European aviation system. The founders of the association believe that sharing best practices is the main method to speed up the deployment of new technologies while ensuring the safety of all aircraft.
The next meeting is scheduled to take place in June.