EPRS_BRI_2025_772885_EN.pdf — page 10

EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service 
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company secured €36.4 million in funding, supplementing the €63.6 million raised in October 2023, 
bringing their funding to over €100 million. Quantum's drones offer high-range capabilities, making 
them versatile for both military and civilian applications. It plans to double its production capacity in 
Ukraine in 2025, following the opening of its first facility there in April 2024. The company produces 
advanced Vector reconnaissance drones and has established an R&D centre and drone maintenance 
facility in Ukraine. 
Drone regulation 
The increasing use of drones in modern warfare – highlighted in conflicts such as the one in Ukraine, 
the Red Sea, and the Israel-Hamas war – has brought a host of legal and ethical challenges to the 
forefront. In the case of civilian drones, the Commission has been developing a comprehensive 
drone policy for over a decade. In 2014, it proposed a regulatory framework for various drone types 
and uses, with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) taking the lead in setting common 
standards. The 2015 aviation strategy expanded this work, instructing EASA to draft detailed 
regulations and safety protocols. A 2018 regulation extended EU aviation rules to all unmanned 
aircraft, addressing safety, privacy, liability and environmental concerns. In 2019, drones were 
classified into open, specific and certified categories with distinct requirements. These rules, 
implemented in 2020, helped make the EU a leader in drone regulation. The 2021 U-space 
regulations, effective since 2023, aim to safely integrate drones into airspace through technical 
rules, coordination mechanisms and electronic visibility for aircraft. The 2022 drone strategy 2.0 
seeks to expand drone usage and regulation across the EU by 2030. It focuses on building a strong 
drone ecosystem, with 19 flagship actions across nine areas, including innovative air mobility, public 
acceptance, training, investment, research, and system resilience. 
The EU does not directly regulate military drone use in the same way as it regulates civilian 
drones. Military operations, including the use of drones for defence purposes, remain within the 
exclusive competence of the individual Member States. The regulatory framework governing armed 
drones spans three key areas of international law: international humanitarian law, international 
human rights law, and the law governing the use of force. Notably, the UN Convention on Certain 
Conventional Weapons, adopted in 1980, plays a significant role. The convention established the 
Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) to address emerging technologies, including LAWS, and to 
consider the ethical and moral issues surrounding their use in armed conflict. Discussions primarily 
focus on the human element involved in deploying such technologies and the responsibility in case 
of accidents. However, these forums have faced criticism for being too slow and unwieldy to handle 
effectively the rapid advancements and complex technological challenges involved. 
In 2013, Christof Heyns, then the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary 
executions, submitted a paper to the UN General Assembly detailing the international legal 
standards governing the use of armed drones. Essentially, it asserted that, for drone strikes to be 
considered lawful, they must comply with legal criteria in three main areas: the rules on the use of 
force, international humanitarian law, and international human rights law. The ICRC agreed that 
drones themselves do not inherently violate these principles, and that what matters is how they are 
used. In practice, however, applying these legal principles can be highly complex. Drones can 
theoretically enable more precise targeting, yet in many cases long-range drone attacks miss 
intended targets and result in civilian casualties. This raises questions about the obligation to 
distinguish between combatants and civilians and to avoid indiscriminate attacks. Energy 
infrastructure, for instance, has become a common target in Ukraine, prompting debate over 
whether such facilities are civilian objects or legitimate military objectives. Experts like Michael 
Schmitt argue that if disabling energy systems yields a clear military advantage – such as halting 
fuel supplies – they can be lawful targets, but only if the civilian harm is not excessive. 
The principle of proportionality is central here. Civilian harm must not be disproportionate to the 
anticipated military gain. In cases where power outages caused by drone strikes lead to loss of life 
due to lack of medical care or heating, such attacks may be deemed unlawful. Legal scholars like