The Council of Ministers has approved the decree-law establishing a mandatory registration and compulsory civil liability insurance system applicable to civilian remotely piloted aircraft systems, better known as drones.

The Minister of Planning and Infrastructures, Pedro Marques, stated that although Portugal already had legislation with “flight ceilings and airport operation”, “it was found that we did not have enough instruments, not only to detect, but above all to penalize misuse ‘.

The registration system ‘means that at the time of acquisition of each drone the essential data of the drone and aircraft operator are recorded and communicated to the National Civil Aviation Authority through a computer platform, which will send the aircraft operator a system which has to be placed in the drone by the user.

The Minister said that with this system, “if any of these drones are detected operating in a prohibited zone, it will be possible to identify and hold the operator responsible”.

The identification system will be mandatory for drones with more than 250 grams, and civil liability insurance for drones with more than 900 grams, following Portugal’s legislation and international experience.

The owners of drones who have bought them before the entry into force of the legislation, will also have to register them in the computer platform of ANAC.

The legislation now approved also establishes the sanctioning regime to be applied in case of non-compliance with the established rules, a task that is the responsibility of ANAC, which is responsible for ensuring the safety of activities related to the civil use of these aircraft.

Re-building of the first affected dwellings in the fires of June 2017 are all in progress or completed

The Minister of Planning and Infrastructures, Pedro Marques, stated that all the houses of first habitation affected by the fires of June of 2017 have already been rebuilt or are under construction.

In Lisbon, in the Assembly of the Republic, Pedro Marques said that of the first 1480 dwellings affected, “1126 houses have been completed and remainder under construction, which corresponds to 100% of the dwellings of June and more than two thirds of the dwellings affected by the October fires.”

The Minister said that in relation to the other dwellings a ‘reasonable number’ is included in the works which the Commission for Regional Coordination and Development of the Centre is expected to launch shortly.