MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Challenges and prospects for European space policy financing, institutional cooperation and harmonisation of standards in a strategic sector – E-002284/2024(ASW)

The services offered by Galileo[1], Copernicus[2], and in the future by the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²)[3] are crucial to the competitiveness of the EU and its Member States and to delivering on EU priorities including security and defence.

Guaranteed funding is essential to maintain, upgrade, and reinforce the EU’s space assets. The Commission has started to develop, within the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework , new funding mechanisms for space: through the CASSINI initiative[4] promoting the leverage of private capital for the growth and scale up of start-ups and small and medium enterprises; or, in the case of IRIS², through a public-private partnership in the form of a concession agreement with industry[5]. In the next multiannual financial framework, new funding approaches may be considered.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is a trusted partner for EU space initiatives and already assigned by the Commission with important tasks notably, for the implementation of Galileo, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service[6], Copernicus and IRIS².

The Commission will assess the future role of ESA and other actors, considering the increased needs of the space sector in the evolving geopolitical landscape. The Commission — ESA integrated team for the IRIS² implementation is a useful blueprint.

The upcoming EU Space Law aims to establish a single market for space, ensuring resilience, safety, and sustainability in space activities.

This new set of rules for the EU and global players accessing the single market will provide clarity for the industry and it will boost the European space industry’s competitiveness and position the EU as a global standards-setter in innovative markets.

• [1] https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-space/galileo-satellite-navigation_en
• [2] https://www.copernicus.eu/en
• [3] https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-space/iris2-secure-connectivity_en
• [4] https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-space/entrepreneurship_en
• [5] https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/commission-takes-next-step-deploy-iris2-secure-satellite-system-2024-12-16_en
• [6] https://www.euspa.europa.eu/eu-space-programme/egnos