## 2 Current European Drone Regulation
The unmanned aircraft has a maximum take-off mass of less than 25 kg, and the remote pilot keeps the unmanned aircraft in visual line of sight (VLOS) conditions at all times except when flying in follow-me mode or when using an unmanned aircraft observer. During open operations, the remote pilot ensures that the unmanned aircraft is maintained within 120 m from the closest point on the surface of the Earth (except when it overflies an obstacle upon request to its owner) and at a safe distance from people (never flying over crowds). The unmanned aircraft cannot carry dangerous goods and does not drop any material. Open operations are further divided into three subcategories: A1 (fly over people), A2 (fly close to people) and A3 (fly far from people). * Specific (Article 5 of Regulation 2019/947). Operations fall into this category as long as the concept of operation exceeds the limitations defined in the open category. The drone operator shall apply to obtain an operational authorization from the competent authority in the member state where it is registered, submitting a risk assessment including adequate mitigating measures. This risk assessment approach allows handling new technologies and operations such as beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), fully autonomous drones, urban areas, etc. However, if the operation complies with one of the standard scenarios (STS) defined by EASA, the drone operator shall not be required to obtain the above-mentioned operational authorization, and a declaration (responsible) by the drone operator will be sufficient. EASA has defined two STS:  
* STS01: VLOS operation in a controlled ground area in an urban environment;
* STS02: BVLOS operation in a controlled ground area in a sparsely populated environment. Apart from that, an operational authorization or a declaration shall not be required for drone operators holding a light UAS operator certificate (LUC) with appropriate privileges, which is valid in all EU member states without additional demonstrations. * Certified (Article 6 of Regulation 2019/947). An operation is classified as being in the certified category when, according to the risk assessment, the operation cannot take place without a certificate for the operator, a certificate for the airworthiness of the drone, and a license for the remote pilot (unless fully autonomous). In any case, the following operations are within the certified category: operations over assemblies of people with an aircraft of characteristic dimensions of 3 m or more, transportation of people, and transportation of dangerous goods if, in case of accident, they pose a high risk for third parties. In October 2019, EASA published its guidance material (GM) and a description of the means of complying with the regulation (acceptable means of compliance (AMC)). The AMC shed light on how to carry out the SORA, which is required for operation, depending on the'specific' category under scrutiny. Along the same lines, EASA has published some predefined risk assessments as AMC to Article 11, to cover most common drone operations. The intent is to simplify the burden for drone operators, paving the way for the full implementation of the new legal framework. Finally, there are some points to be remarked: there is no distinction between professional and leisure activities with drones or between experimental flights and aerial works.