ASSORPAS — The Italian UAS Industry Association
ASSORPAS is the Italian association bringing together companies operating in the field of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS, commonly known as "drones").
Our members are manufacturers, UAS operators and research centres, united in taking an active and collaborative part in shaping and developing a sector undergoing rapid technological and regulatory change.
The applications of these systems are of strategic interest to the community as a whole: civil protection and emergency management, environmental and territorial monitoring, critical infrastructure inspection, photogrammetric surveying and mapping, safety in industrial plants and construction sites, precision agriculture, logistics and emergency medical transport, and image capture for scientific, documentary or promotional purposes.
As set out in the Aims of its Statute, ASSORPAS seeks to "foster the development of a fair and harmonious sector market, respecting free competition among the players involved and the safety guarantees of both product and operation", acting in the interests of those who work in this market — predominantly small and medium-sized enterprises with a strong drive to innovate — of the end users of the services provided, and of the wider public.
The regulatory framework
Since 31 December 2020 the sector has been governed by Regulations (EU) 2019/947 and 2019/945, which divide operations into the Open, Specific and Certified categories. 1 January 2026 marked the completion of the transition: the Italian Standard Scenarios (IT-STS) were superseded by the European Standard Scenarios (EU-STS), which require the use of UAS bearing C5 and C6 class marking. The rules that will define the coming decade are still being written: the implementation of U-Space, the extension of Remote Identification requirements, the streamlining of authorisation procedures for SAIL I and II risk profiles, and the systematic integration of BVLOS operations.
Advocacy and representation
ASSORPAS does not merely monitor regulatory developments: it works to shape them. Since its foundation, the Association has been active both at European level (with EASA) and in Italy (with ENAC) to improve the way rules are implemented, through technical proposals, submissions to public consultations, and institutional advocacy in the relevant fora.
Our objective is regulation that is proportionate to actual risk, reducing the procedural burdens that hold back the growth of businesses — processing times, redundant requirements, and obligations disproportionate to low-risk operations — without any retreat on safety levels. Operational safety and economic sustainability are not competing objectives: a workable rule is a rule that gets followed.
As part of this work, ASSORPAS takes part in the ENAC technical working groups and is present at European level as a founding member of JEDA, the federation of national associations in the sector, where ASSORPAS holds the Vice-Presidency (Nicola Nizzoli). It also sits on the EASA UAS CREW TRAINING working group, dedicated to improving the standardisation of remote pilot training in the Specific category (Giorgio Biasi), and on JEDA's CG3, which focuses on technical standards, airworthiness and regulatory compliance of drones (Marco Festa). The Association further maintains relations with international UAS organisations and with counterpart associations in Italy and abroad.
Why join
Joining ASSORPAS means having a voice while the rules are still being written, rather than simply applying them once they are set.
