The Agency welcomes the European Parliament's position expressed today, confirming the political agreement on the Space Regulation reached in December 2020 and the creation of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme. The EU Space Programme, with the largest budget ever for Space - euro 14.88 billion, encompasses all EU space activities under one roof and will allow for an effective and efficient contribution to the priorities of the European agenda.

The EU Space Programme will ensure the continuity and evolution of the existing flagships Galileo/EGNOS and Copernicus. It will also support new initiatives, in particular the European Union Governmental Satellite Communications (GOVSATCOM), SSA (Space Situational Awareness), and potentially others follow.

The regulation gives the means to the European Union to maintain its position as a global space power and lay the foundation for EU's new Space ambition.

With the new setup, the European Union will scale up its promotion of innovative downstream applications/technologies, the user and market uptake and the unleash the huge potential of space data and services to develop value-adding applications and services.

Moreover, the space data and services provided under the EU Space Programme will support the green and digital transformation, which is the cornerstone for the European recovery initiative.

Rodrigo da Costa, GSA/EUSPA's Executive Director, stated: "EUSPA is ready to implement the EU Space Programme and join hands with our partners to make the EU space ambitions a reality. We will boost our support to reinforce the dynamic and innovative downstream sector because we want society to benefit even more from space-based services. We will continue delivering and enhancing safe and secure navigation services for the EU citizens and the Member States. We are committed to getting the best out of the EU Space Programme components, in particular Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus and the upcoming GOVSATCOM, and are ready to contribute to new initiatives such as space-based secure connectivity."

The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) replaces and expands on the European Agency for Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GSA) and evolve its mandate. In addition to the exploitation management and operational security of EGNOS and Galileo, EUSPA will be in charge of the security accreditation of all the components of the EU Space Programme, and of the coordination of user-related aspects of GOVSATCOM, in close collaboration with Member States and other involved entities such as EU Agencies.

The Agency will be responsible for promoting the commercial market uptake of Galileo, EGNOS, and now also Copernicus together with the Entrusted Entities of the European Earth Observation programme, with a special focus on the synergies of all components of EU Space.

The EU Space Programme Regulation will provide the backbone for supporting the space industry and will foster Europe's space technological autonomy and resilience, to compete in the global race. It will also help the economy and society recover from the crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, it will finance programmes that leverage space for a stronger and more prosperous Europe in the years and decades to come for the EU citizens and businesses.

Next Steps The Regulation will be published in the Official Journal in the coming days, allowing it to enter into force the day of publication marking the first day of EUSPA. The Regulation will retroactively apply from 1 January 2021. Then, the Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA) and the relevant Contribution Agreements with the European Commission and ESA in order to implement the Regulation will be signed with the European Commission.

Related Links
European GNSS Agency (GSA)
GPS Applications, Technology and Suppliers

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