The general attitude towards the European Commission’s proposal for European space legislation is positive, according to an analysis of the public consultation on the subject, published on Thursday 18 December.
The consultation, which ran from 15 July to 7 November, received 117 responses, almost half of them from companies (48%). 61% of responses came from European stakeholders.
The majority of stakeholders therefore support the objectives of the draft legislation, which is seen “positively as a step towards establishing a common legislative framework that can harmonise existing national regulations and create a level playing field” (see EUROPE 13667/23).
However, as is the case at European ministerial level (see EUROPE 13769/20), there are a number of areas of concern.
European stakeholders are concerned about the compliance costs and the economic, administrative and operational burdens that this legislation could generate, which could limit their competitiveness.
The uneven application of the legislative act across the Union raises questions about regulatory distortions and the complexity of its governance, due to multi-state authorisation requirements that could lead to an abusive choice of jurisdiction.
Whether European or non-European, stakeholders are worried about the impact on international cooperation and the potential discrepancy with existing European and international standards. Non-Europeans stress the need to maintain harmonious international cooperation and fair treatment. They are also concerned about possible discrimination in access to the European market and the lack of clarity about the conditions of the equivalence and mutual recognition mechanisms.
While recognising the need for safety measures to ensure the sustainability of space operations, stakeholders question the feasibility and practical implications of some of the requirements of the proposed legislation. Furthermore, in their view, cybersecurity requirements should not be applied uniformly to all operators and there is concern about potential overlap with existing legislative frameworks.
Finally, there are concerns about the potentially rigid, reporting driven compliance mechanisms relating to environmental sustainability.
To see the document: https://aeur.eu/f/k3p (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)