EU and Japan strengthen their cooperation on drones

The European External Action Service (EEAS) in a press release^[1] reports about the strengthening of cooperation between the EU and Japan on Unnamed Aircraft Systems (UAS). The cooperation takes place in the framework of the EU–Japan Aviation Partnership Project (EU–Japan APP), an initiative by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB). According to EASA^[2], the project “supports long-term engagement between European and Japanese aviation authorities, with a focus on innovation, sustainability, and global regulatory leadership.” The main areas of cooperation include sustainable fuels, innovative aviation technologies as well as air traffic management and oversight.

In this specific case, EASA and the External Action Service report about the results of a recent workshop on the topic of drones, which took place in Tokyo and Nagoya and provided the opportunity for authorities and industry representatives from both sides to have a dialogue and exchange best practices on practical use cases. The discussions reportedly focused on operational safety aspects as well as ways to guarantee a stable regulatory framework while also fostering innovation.

This form of regular and structured exchange demonstrates a shared understanding of both parties on the relevance and potential of this innovative technology. Both sides appear to prioritise safety and a rules-based approach while also leaving enough room for innovation. In this regard, the EU and Japan seem like-minded partners and the cooperation on drones may also spill over to other technologies and policy domains.

[1] https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/japan/eu-and-japan-strengthen-cooperation-future-unmanned-aircraft-system_en

[2] https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/domains/international-cooperation/technical-cooperation-projects/eu-japan-aviation-partnership-0