How to kick-start the European drone market?
The evolving geopolitical environment has transformed airspace governance into a matter of sovereignty, resilience, and strategic autonomy. In an era marked by geopolitical instability, supply-chain vulnerabilities, and hybrid threats, control over mobility, logistics, and situational awareness has become a core element of political power. In this context, airspace must be understood as critical infrastructure. Digital aviation is no longer a niche technological domain. It has become an essential component of Europe’s economic security, crisis response capacity, and political independence. A strong civil drone ecosystem constitutes the foundation of this strategic capability: the need to scale, create U-space airspace, and implement e-conspicuity should all be addressed as a matter of priority.
Speakers
Sebastian Babiarz is a seasoned leader in the drone industry with nearly two decades of experience driving the global adoption of U-space and UTM. He currently serves as the CCO at Skypuzzler. He has previously held executive roles at DroneUp, DroneHub, and AirMap, along with a telecommunications background at Nokia and Ericsson.
Sebastian co-founded GUTMA and has served as co-president and Executive Board member in the GUTMA/GSMA ACJA working group. He has made significant contributions to the development of the European U-space regulatory framework and was among the industry leaders shaping the EU Drone Strategy 2.0, reinforcing his commitment to enabling a safe and scalable drone ecosystem in Europe and beyond. Sebastian has led the publication of Annexe H of SORA 2.5.
Professional career in social affairs, legal, and high-level policy, at the Belgian and European levels.
In parallel, administrator in several not-for-profit social organisations.
PPL and Ultralight pilot, gyroplane instructor. Board member of the Belgian and the European Microlight Federation.
Co-founder (2021) and administrator of SafeSky srl, bridging the worlds of crewed and uncrewed aircraft.
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