The European Commission has proposed ambitious new measures to make Europe's space sector cleaner, safer and more competitive.
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Europe’s space rules are currently fragmented, holding back innovation, reducing the European market share and creating extra costs. An EU harmonised framework would ensure safety, resilience, and environmental responsibility, while helping companies grow and scale up across borders.
The EU Space Act aims to cut red tape, protect space assets, and create a fair, predictable playing field for businesses. It is based on 3 pillars:
- Safety: new rules for tracking space objects and limiting new debris, preserving Europe’s secure and uninterrupted access to space
- Resilience: tailored cybersecurity requirements to strengthen the protection of European space infrastructure and ensure business continuity
- Sustainability: operators will need to assess and reduce the environmental impact of their space activities, while benefiting from support for innovation in emerging technologies, like in-space servicing to extend satellite life and reduce debris.
The new rules would apply to both EU and non-EU operators offering services in Europe. Support will be offered to mitigate potential costs for the industry.
Alongside the EU Space Act, the Commission has also presented a Vision for the European Space Economy to tackle the evolving global space economy and the challenges posed by international competition and geopolitical tensions. The legislative proposal will be negotiated in the European Parliament and the Council, as part of the ordinary legislative procedure.
The space economy and the EU Space Act are a key priority for the Commission, as outlined in the Draghi and Letta reports, and more recently in the Competitiveness Compass and the Commission work programme for 2025.
The industry group GSOA welcomed the EC’s publication of the proposed EU Space Act and the accompanying Vision for the European Space Economy. These developments acknowledge the strategic relevance of space infrastructure and services for Europe’s economic resilience, technological sovereignty, competitiveness and digital future," said GSOA in a statement.
The GSOA statment added: "As the EU advances its space agenda, it is essential to foster innovation, fair competition, and legal certainty across the space value chain. A coherent and proportionate regulatory framework, aligned with international obligations and cohesive across Member States, will be key to avoiding fragmentation of the internal market and preserving Europe’s global competitiveness while ensuring
a level-playing field for all stakeholders. Europe needs a space regulation that is tailored for the industry to best respond to government’s and citizen's needs, preserving competition both at national and international level. It is crucial to avoid duplication of existing national or EU-level rules and to refrain from introducing burdensome requirements that may stifle innovation, investment and growth."
"Notably, the security of space-based assets and services should build on the effective and cohesiveimplementation of existing EU legislation on cybersecurity and critical entities resilience, while consistency with global standards. Sustainability and responsibility in space activities are also imperative to 1) Mitigate the risk of in-orbit collision; 2) Minimise the Threat of Non-Trackable Debris; 3) Preserve human life in space; 4) Limit satellite reflectivity and the related impact on optical astronomy," GSOA added.
For more information:
Factsheet: Vision for the European Space Economy
