The Use Of Unmanned Aerial Systems In State Operations: Analysis Of Legislation And Best Practices Abroad And Comparison With The Current State In Slovenia
Aleksej Majkić, Igor Petrović, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ljubljana, Slovenia

EU legislation does not specifically regulate the use of unmanned aerial systems in national operations; therefore, Member States retain sovereignty in this area.
However, they are well-advised to apply the relevant EU legislation also for state operations, in part to promote harmonisation between member states but also because the EU legislation is already well developed and detailed. At the same time, there is a growing convergence between EU civil legislation and NATO military standards. In both cases, the legislation aims to manage risks during the conduct of operations, with these risks being determined by crew qualifications, the complexity of UAVs, and the nature of the operations. We analysed the relevant EU legislation and adopted NATO standards, as well as existing examples of best practices in several selected European countries. Based on all of this, we have developed guidelines that can serve as a foundation for regulating this area in Slovenia in the future.