Any news about the new 600kg Microlight/ultralight in Europe?

The regulation is now in force:

REGULATION (EU) 2018/1139 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 4 July 2018 on common rules in the field of civil aviation and establishing a European Union Aviation Safety Agency
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Article 2 Scope
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8. A Member State may decide to exempt from this Regulation the design, production, maintenance and operation activities in respect of one or more of the following categories of aircraft:
(a) aeroplanes, other than unmanned aeroplanes, which have no more than two seats, measurable stall speed or minimum steady flight speed in landing configuration not exceeding 45 knots calibrated air speed and a maximum take-off mass (MTOM), as recorded by the Member State, of no more than 600 kg for aeroplanes not intended to be operated on water or 650 kg for aeroplanes intended to be operated on water;
(b) helicopters, other than unmanned helicopters, which have no more than two seats and a MTOM, as recorded by the Member State, of no more than 600 kg for helicopters not intended to be operated on water or 650 kg for helicopters intended to be operated on water;
(c) sailplanes, other than unmanned sailplanes, and powered sailplanes, other than unmanned powered sailplanes, which have no more than two seats and a MTOM, as recorded by the Member State, of no more than 600 kg.


This means indeed that there no longer will be a single definition for microlights in Europe. As microlights approved in one country need a separate authorization to fly in every foreign country, this can mean trouble if your microlight doesn't conform to the foreign nation limits.

Germany has notified the European Union that it will apply these exemption rules to their full extent.

The French aeronautical authority has agreed with the microlight community to implement an exemption for airplanes and helicopters with MTOM 500 kg, 525 kg with global parachute rescue system, 545 kg with floats + parachute, AND minimum steady flight speed in landing configuration not exceeding 35 knots. For 2-axis microlights (deltas with engine), the limits will remain 300 kg MTOM for a single seater and 450 kg for a two-seater. No exemption announced for sailplanes.

This could mean that a future German 600 kg microlight would be banned from flying in France...

If sanity prevails and the French authorities decide that the French limits don't apply to a German registered microlight, this could mean that French pilots wanting a 600 kg microlight will have to register it in Germany.