The post-Brexit trade agreement concluded over the Christmas holidays between London and the European Union provides for the exclusion of the UK from the European satellite navigation system Galileo and the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service EGNOS. But the British will still be able to benefit from their signals.
The issue of British participation in European space programmes is not an insignificant one; it was a stumbling block in the negotiations on the EU space programme (see EUROPE 12624/21) and was an important issue for London, particularly for Galileo.
Thus, the United Kingdom will have free access to the signals, but British industry is now excluded from the development of the two programmes. UK users will be able to continue to benefit from the European navigation programme (UK smartphones will continue to use these signals). However, the British government will no longer have access to the Public Regulated Service (PRS), the encrypted service offered by Galileo for sensitive government applications.
While UK-based businesses, academics and researchers will be able to develop services based on the signals, they will not be able to get future GNSS contracts from the EU. According to one source, they could also potentially encounter difficulties in executing and completing existing contracts.
From 25 June 2021, UK users will no longer be able to use the EGNOS SoL service (a signal used mainly for air operations, but also for certain maritime, rail and road applications) or the EGNOS Working Agreements (EWA), which will no longer be recognised.
However, it would appear that European subsidiaries of British companies will be able to participate in projects under EGNOS programmes. In addition, the United Kingdom retains access to Space Surveillance and tracking services. However, the country will no longer be able to participate in the development of the programme. Furthermore, London makes no secret of its desire to continue to participate fully in the Copernicus earth observation programme.
Finally, it should be noted that the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Space Agency (ESA) will not be affected in any way by its departure from the EU, as the ESA is not an institution of the European Union. Thus, London will continue to participate in the ESA’s Copernicus space component. Similarly, the United Kingdom remains a member of the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)