Four-Party MOU Signing at Taipei Aerospace & Defense Exhibition: TÜV Rheinland Supports Taiwan's Drone Market Entry into Europe

A major event took place on Sep. 19 at the 2025 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition, being held at the Nangang Exhibition Center, with the Asia UAV AI Innovation Application R&D Center (Space Chiayi), Taiwan National Drone Industry Association (TNDIA), TÜV Rheinland, and STMicroelectronics signing a quadrilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The signing ceremony was witnessed by Chiayi County Magistrate Weng Chang-liang, Deputy Secretary-General to the President of the ROC Mark Chih-wei Ho, Christoph Saurenbach, Head of the Trade Section at the European Economic and Trade Office, Eva Langerbeck, Chief Representative & Executive Director of the German Trade Office Taipei, and Cyril Dupont, Strategic Affairs Advisor of the French Office in Taipei. With strong participation from both domestic and international stakeholders, the event underscores the growing importance of Taiwan’s UAV industry and the industry’s commitment to deepening international cooperation and expanding its global market footprint.

The four-party cooperation will focus on promoting drone product verification and quality assurance platforms, combining professional expertise in testing and certification with semiconductor technology advantages to help Taiwanese manufacturers' products comply with international standards and establish a globally trusted industrial ecosystem. As a leading global testing and certification organization, TÜV Rheinland will play a core role in this cooperation, leveraging its EU Notified Body UAS qualification and comprehensive testing capabilities to help Taiwan's drone products successfully enter the European market.

At the signing, Chiayi County Magistrate Weng Chang-liang stated that since its establishment, Space Chiayi has gathered together nearly 50 industry, government, academia, and research institutions. In the future, it will integrate the Minxiong Aerospace Park drone manufacturing base and medium-to-large unmanned aircraft testing airspace to more effectively shape a complete research/development/manufacturing/testing drone industry ecosystem. This MOU not only symbolizes the deep cooperation between Taiwan and leading international professional testing and semiconductor companies, but also enhances Taiwanese manufacturers' credibility and competitiveness in the European market through international connections.

According to customs statistics, Taiwan's drone exports reached USD 11.89 million (approximately NT$350 million) in the first half of this year, representing 7.49-fold growth compared to the same period last year. Exports to Poland alone accounted for 54%, making Europe Taiwan's primary drone export market. Under EU Regulations (EU) 2019/945 and (EU) 2020/1058, addressing drone products until 25kg placed on the European market, must comply with both CE marking and Class Identification Label (CIL) requirements.

TÜV Rheinland has obtained the Notified Body notification from the European Commission and the German National Aviation Authority in 2021 and issued the world's first UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) type examination certificate in the UAS Open category in early 2022. In Taiwan, it also holds BSMI qualification and will soon obtain Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) recognized laboratory qualification. Therefore, TÜV Rheinland can not only assist manufacturers in completing product safety documentation and conformity declaration reviews, but also conduct comprehensive testing at its dedicated drone testing facilities and laboratories in Germany, covering EMC, radio, hazardous substances, cybersecurity and flight safety performance. After completing all testing and reviews, TÜV Rheinland will issue the EU-type examination eertificates as a Notified Body, ensuring products meet market entry and UA operating requirements and shortening manufacturers' time-to-market.

TÜV Rheinland operates two dedicated drone testing airports in Germany handling UAS flight safety tests. For UAS product safety tests the indoor lab is equipped with 10-meter anechoic chambers and multiple internationally calibrated measurement equipment sets. A team of fifteen EMC and radio experts and five professional UAS experts with UAS pilot qualifications ensure the accuracy and reliability of the testing processes. Through these professional resources, Taiwanese manufacturers can effectively overcome regulatory barriers and enhance their competitiveness in the global supply chain.

As the Chiayi County Government actively promotes the national drone team and a complete research/development/manufacturing/testing ecosystem chain, TÜV Rheinland will continue to collaborate with industry, government, academia, and research institution partners to establish high-quality, compliant, and internationally trusted market positioning for Taiwan's drone industry.