Safety

Benelux countries exchange views on drone detection

02 Feb. 2026

The civil aviation authorities of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg held a meeting following recent incidents involving unidentified drones flying over strategic sites. The three countries aim to strengthen their cooperation in order to improve airspace security.

During the most recent European Transport Council, the Benelux countries supported a joint document calling for administrative simplification and enhanced safety measures in the civil drone sector. According to the authorities, faster information exchange is crucial to detect suspicious drone activities more quickly and to strengthen overall resilience.

As part of their Benelux cooperation, the three countries will also compare their procedures for issuing licences to drone pilots. The goal is to examine whether mutual recognition is possible, in order to facilitate cross‑border operations. The Benelux countries also intend to promote this topic at the European level.