The European Commission announced on Friday 10 March that it will examine whether to legislate at EU level to protect national and European space systems and services.
“Space is critical for the strategic autonomy of the EU and its Member States and (...) also contributes to achieving the EU’s political agenda, enabling the digital and green transitions, and enhancing its resilience. Yet space is an increasingly contested area”, notes the European Commission in its first European Union Space Strategy for Security and Defence, which is a substantial part of the ‘Strategic Compass’ adopted in March 2022 (see EUROPE 12915/10).
This strategy is divided into five areas: - promoting a better shared understanding of space threats; - increasing the resilience and protection of space systems and services in the EU; - responding to space threats; - the use of space for security and defence; - developing international partnerships for responsible behaviour in space.
As envisaged, a legislative initiative could establish a minimum level of resilience of space-based systems and services in the EU, similar to what the NIS 2 and CER Directives already do for critical (cyber) infrastructure. Member States could be asked to identify critical space systems and services, including supply chain actors, and develop national plans and emergency protocols. The Commission also suggests the establishment of monitoring centres for reporting security incidents.
“10 to 11 Member States” have developed laws, with different perimeters, hence the risk of “fragmentation which could be an obstacle” and have an impact in terms of security, said a European official, justifying the relevance of considering a European space law. He stressed the importance of mapping the existing situation, “organising crisis response protocols” and the exchange of information in the event of a technical incident.
It is also important, according to the Commission, to encourage the sharing of experience between public entities and industry within a dedicated ISAC centre. In addition, work will be initiated with the European Defence Agency and the European Space Agency to strengthen EU sovereignty by reducing dependencies and improving security of supply of strategic materials and technologies.
The strategy also foresees maximising the use of the space sector for security and defence purposes. Two pilot projects are planned, one to test the provision of initial space awareness services building on Member States’ capabilities, the other to test a governmental Earth observation service as part of the evolution of the Copernicus observation programme. Research and development will also be able to be directed towards this goal.
See the European Commission’s communication: https://aeur.eu/f/5qv (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion with Thomas Mangin)