Denmark has announced a temporary ban on civilian drone flights across the country next week. The event is linked to the European Union summit in Copenhagen.
As explained in the Ministry of Transport, the ban will be in effect from Monday to Friday and is aimed at maximising safety during the summit.
Transport Minister Thomas Danielsen said the ban will avoid confusion between legitimate and potentially hostile drones. He said it will reduce risks for participants and guests at the summit. Violators of the new rules face fines or up to two years in prison.
Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard emphasised that the temporary ban will facilitate the work of the police and special services, which are on high alert. They will not have to be distracted by checking harmless civilian drones. According to police, since the end of September, there have been more than 500 reports from the public of drones being fixed, most of which were of no interest to law enforcement.
The decision to ban civilian drone flights was approved against the backdrop of unidentified drones being detected over Danish territory since 22 September. Because of them, airports in several cities, including Copenhagen, were temporarily closed.
The country’s authorities admitted the possibility of foreign interference, hinting at Russia’s involvement. Moscow, in turn, denied such accusations.
The Danish Ministry of Defence said that on the night of 28 September it had again detected several drones of unknown origin flying near the country’s military facilities. The ministry did not give any other details.
Drones were also spotted near Oslo airport on 22 September, which also led to a temporary airspace closure.
Denmark and Norway are conducting a joint investigation to determine whether the incidents are related.