The European Commission has launched a call for applications to renew and expand its Expert Group on drones, as part of the upcoming review of the EU Drone Strategy 2.0 later this year.
The review will assess progress made since the strategy’s adoption in 2022 and explore possible adjustments and additional measures to further develop Europe’s drone and innovative air mobility ecosystem.
Expanding the scope towards innovative air mobility
Reflecting the rapid evolution of the sector, the Commission is revising the mandate of the group, which will now be renamed the Expert Group on drones and innovative air mobility.
The updated mandate aims to strengthen stakeholder participation, introduce the possibility of creating dedicated sub-groups, and align working methods with the Commission’s expert group framework. The group will support the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) in shaping future policy initiatives, strengthening cooperation between EU institutions, Member States and industry stakeholders, and sharing best practices for the safe, secure and sustainable deployment of drone and innovative air mobility services across Europe.
The Commission is particularly encouraging private sector stakeholders to apply in order to broaden expertise and reinforce industry participation in the group’s future activities.
Advancing integrated aerial mobility solutions
The growing focus on innovative air mobility reflects wider developments across Europe’s transport ecosystem, where aerial services are increasingly being considered as part of integrated and multimodal mobility systems.
In this context, ERTICO – ITS Europe is leading the Innovation Platform on ITS-driven Innovative Aerial Services (IDI), which supports the integration of aerial services into multimodal traffic management and next-generation city and regional operations. The IDI Innovation Platform represents an important step towards connecting drones and innovative aerial mobility services with the broader intelligent transport ecosystem, helping to enable safer, more efficient and more sustainable mobility solutions.
Applications for the first round must be submitted by 9 June 2026 at 16:00 CET
The call for applications is now open, with DG MOVE assessing applications on a rolling basis. The first evaluation round will take place in June 2026 and continue annually thereafter.
Current member organisations are also invited to confirm their interest in continuing participation by the same deadline. Membership renewals will be processed upon confirmation, while organisations that do not respond will be considered to have withdrawn from the group.
Building on Europe’s evolving drone framework
The European Commission first established the Expert Group on Drones in 2017 to support the development of the European drone services market.
Since then, the European Union has developed a comprehensive regulatory and policy framework for drones, while the sector itself has evolved rapidly beyond traditional operations towards more advanced and integrated innovative air mobility services.
Source: European Commission