The Commission recently unveiled a plan to improve the safety of drones flying at low altitude.

It wants to introduce a consistent set of rules across the EU for flying drones in "U-space," its name for regulated airspace under 150 meters in altitude.

Simpler regulations will be welcomed by multinational businesses such as gas giant Engie, which is developing drones for tasks such as pipeline or building inspection or for cleaning the insulators on high-voltage overhead power lines.

Other businesses, including some exhibiting at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget last week, will see common rules as a way to simplify the development of drones and related services.

As part of a plan to automate air traffic control for drones, the Commission wants to build a register of drones and their operators by 2019, and to have drones identify themselves electronically. It also wants to introduce geo-fencing, building a database of sensitive areas that drones will be required to automatically avoid.

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