Bezpilota gaisa kuģu (dronu) izmantošanas tiesiskie aspekti

In today’s technology world, development of unmanned aircrafts is happening very rapidly, and the laws and regulations governing this specific area are constantly supplemented at both – level of European Union and nation-wide. They are aimed at incorporating unmanned aircrafts in air traffic, to comply safety, security, and privacy requirements, and not to pose any risks to the environment. Opportunities of using this technical mean are versatile and it can be a good assistant in various areas. Unmanned aircrafts are widely used by the civil sector and the military sector and, in the recent years, these specific means have been used by rescue services and security institutions. Unfortunately, it should be admitted that unmanned aircrafts are also used in terrorist and other criminal activities, so it is essential to control the flight environment by preventing unauthorised flights for ensuring general safety. The responsible institutions also have been working in this direction. Until July 1st, 2021, in the current Cabinet Regulation No 368 “Regulations for Performing Flights of Unmanned Aircrafts and Other Types of Aircrafts”, there was found a term “state unmanned aircraft”, which regulated the areas in which state unmanned aircrafts can be used, for example, in investigation and detection of criminal offences, but there was no further explanation in more detail. The Cabinet Regulations, which came into force on July 1st, 2021, explain in more detail the rights and obligations of pilots of state unmanned aircrafts. However, these regulations do not provide specific information on the use of unmanned aircrafts in measures of operational activities. Therefore, this issue is controversial and should be raised for updating.