The first ever fair dedicated to unmanned aircraft systems in Croatia took place this weekend in the eastern city of Osijek.

The fair, titled Osijek Drone Expo, attracted 15 Croatian companies who used the fair to showcase their drone-related products and technology. Another attraction was the Drone Race Cup, a race for drones, with 30 competitors from Croatia, Austria, Hungary, Bosnia, and Serbia.

Along with panels, lectures, workshops, and exhibits, the event was also used to present Croatia’s new regulations on the usage of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Aircraft inspector Damir Bezik of the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency (CCAA) said that the new regulations drawn up by CCAA introduce three major changes.

“We liberalised the technical requirements for unmanned aircraft systems to fly legally, we allowed night-time flying – which had not been legal until now – and we reduced the minimum safety distance from people or buildings required to fly,” Bezik said.

According to CCAA data, there are around 900 registered UAV operators in Croatia, and an unknown number of UAVs, as operators are not required to report how many drones they own.

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