The European Parliament adopted a legislative resolution approving the Council position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Union Space Programme and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme and repealing Regulations (EU) No 912/2010, (EU) No 1285/2013 and (EU) No 377/2014 and Decision No 541/2014/EU.
The proposed regulation establishes the Union's space programme for the duration of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) 2021-2027. It combines and streamlines the existing regulations on Galileo (European satellite positioning system), EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System) and Copernicus (European Earth Observation Programme), adding two new initiatives, namely support for space surveillance and tracking of space objects and debris (SST) and Govatscom, the initiative on government satellite communications.
The regulation also establishes the European Union Agency for the Space Programme Agency (EUSPA), which replaces the European GNSS Agency (GSA).
Objectives
The general objectives of the Programme are to:
- provide or contribute to the provision of high-quality and up-to-date and, where appropriate, secure space-related data, information and services without interruption and wherever possible at global level, meeting existing and future needs and able to support the Union’s political priorities and related evidence-based and independent decision making, inter alia for climate change, transport and security;
- maximise the socio-economic benefits, in particular by fostering the development of innovative and competitive European upstream and downstream sectors, including SMEs and start-ups, thereby enabling growth and job creation in the Union and promoting the widest possible uptake and use of the data, information and services provided by the Programme’s components both within and outside the Union;
- enhance the safety and security of the Union and its Member States and reinforce the autonomy of the Union, in particular in terms of technology;
- promote the role of the Union as a global actor in the space sector;
- enhance the safety, security and sustainability of all outer space activities pertaining to space objects and debris proliferation, as well as space environment.
Autonomous access to space
In order to achieve the objectives of freedom of action, independence and security, it is essential that the EU has autonomous access to space and can use it safely. The Commission should therefore have the possibility to aggregate launch services at European level, both for its own needs and, at their request, for those of other entities, including Member States.
Budget
The financial envelope for the implementation of the programme for the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027, and for covering the associated risks, is set at EUR 14 880 million in current prices, with the following indicative breakdown:
- Galileo and EGNOS: EUR 9 017 million;
- Copernicus: EUR 5 421 million;
- SSA/GOVSATCOM: EUR 0.442 billion.
The regulation lays down the forms of EU funding and the rules for granting such funding, as well as the rules for the implementation of the programme.