EU space programmes Galileo and Copernicus : services launched, but the uptake needs a further boost. Special report No 07, 2021.
Date: 2021-07-07
Institutions: European Court of Auditors
Subjects: EU programme, audit, data collection, earth observation, report, satellite communications, satellite navigation, space policy, use of outer space

EN 

2021 

07 

Special Report  EU space programmes  
Galileo and Copernicus: 
services launched,  
but the uptake needs a further boost 

 
 
 
Contents 

Executive summary 

Introduction 

The EU space programmes 

The value chain of the EU space programmes 

The Commission’s 2016 Space Strategy for Europe 

Management of the EU space programmes 

The role of the Commission 

The role of the European Space Agency 

The role of the European GNSS Agency 

The Copernicus entrusted entities and their services 

The role of Member States 

Audit scope and approach 

Observations 

A comprehensive EU strategy that covers the uptake of space 
services is yet to be developed 

Some of the objectives for the uptake of EU space services were 
insufficiently defined 

The Commission’s approach for promoting the uptake of Galileo  
and Copernicus is only partly supported with measurable targets 

The Commission uses Copernicus data well in policy monitoring,  
but has yet to develop a comprehensive strategy to further enhance its use 

The role of the Copernicus entrusted entities in supporting uptake  
was not clearly defined and their approaches varied 

There is limited coordination of the Member States’ uptake strategies 

The EU space programmes provide benefits but there is limited 
information on their extent 

There is no recognised conceptual framework for assessing the benefits  
of space services 

2 

Paragraph 

I-XI 

01-16 

01-04 

05-06 

07-08 

09-16 

10-11 

12 

13 

14-15 

16 

17-23 

24-87 

24-42 

24-26 

27-31 

32-33 

34-36 

37-42 

43-52 

43-45 

 
 
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46-48 

49-52 

53-61 

55-58 

59-61 

62-77 

62-68 

69-71 

72-77 

78-87 

80-84 

85 

86-87 

88-104 

The methodology used by the Commission for determining the benefits  
of space services has shortcomings 

The Commission lacks information and relevant key performance indicators 
to monitor uptake 

There is considerable progress in enabling the use of Galileo 
services but key features are not yet available to reap full 
benefits 

Further success of Galileo services depends particularly on the availability  
of key features 

Actions for supporting evolution and use of Galileo services are of good 
quality but risks for their effective uptake remain 

Commission’s actions to support the uptake of Copernicus data 
were fragmented and synergies were not exploited 

Several key actions of the Commission had unclear objectives,  
were fragmented and lacked funding 

Projects funded under the Horizon 2020 programme are generally  
of good quality but their impact on Copernicus uptake cannot be assessed 

The Commission facilitates access to Copernicus data, but the potential  
for synergies is not being exploited 

Regulatory measures can facilitate the uptake of EU space 
services but gaps remain 

Regulatory action facilitated the use of Galileo compatible devices,  
but further action is required 

The Commission does not sufficiently promote the use of Earth Observation 
in its regulations 

There has been little action in identifying regulatory or administrative 
barriers for the uptake of space services 

Conclusions and recommendations 

Annexes 

Annex I – Budget for the EU Space Programmes 

Annex II – Key actions in the 2016 Space Strategy for Europe 

Annex III – Regulatory measures facilitating the uptake of Galileo 

services 

Acronyms and abbreviations 

 
 
4 

Glossary 

Replies of the Commission 

Replies of the European GNSS Agency 

Audit team 

Timeline 

 
 
 
 
5 

Executive summary 

I The global navigation satellite system Galileo and the Copernicus Earth observation 
programme are flagships of the EU space policy. They enable more accurate navigation 
and timing and deliver valuable data about the Earth, and help monitor the 
environment, land and oceans. The programmes entail significant and long-term costs 
for the EU budget, which up to the end of 2020, totalled around €18 billion. 

II In its 2016 Space Strategy for Europe, the Commission committed to better 
exploiting the potential of the EU space programmes, by maximising their benefits for 
society and the EU economy. It set up and funded dedicated actions to encourage the 
use of space services, data and applications and committed to ensuring that EU 
legislation supported the uptake of space services, where justified and beneficial.  

III Our audit assessed the measures taken by the Commission since 2014 to promote 
the uptake of services derived from the EU space programmes Galileo and Copernicus, 
towards achieving the expected economic and societal benefits. We examined 
whether the Commission (a) developed a comprehensive and forward-looking strategy 
for promoting the uptake of services, including all relevant actors, (b) set up sound 
systems to assess the benefits of these services and monitor the achievements of 
strategic objectives of the programmes, (c) funded actions that contributed effectively 
to a measurable uptake of services, and (d) took appropriate measures to create a 
regulatory framework, supportive of the uptake of space services. 

IV This audit sought to assess the effectiveness of the measures taken by the 
Commission to promote the uptake of space services. We expect that our audit results 
and recommendations will add value by helping the Commission to promote 
effectively the uptake of EU space services in the new multiannual financial framework 
2021-2027, and to monitor better the achievement of the programmes’ objectives. 

V Our overall conclusion is that the EU space programmes Galileo and Copernicus 
provide valuable services and data, which the Commission promoted in various ways 
but it has not done enough to harness the full potential of the programmes and 
capitalise on the significant investment made to achieve the expected benefits.  

VI Galileo services already enhance the accuracy of navigation and there is good use 
of Copernicus data in monitoring of some EU policies, but the Commission has no 
comprehensive strategy yet for promoting the uptake of the EU space programmes 
that includes all relevant actors and entities at EU and Member State level. 

 
 
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Furthermore, its approaches for supporting the uptake are only partly linked to 
specific, measurable, accepted, realistic and time-bound strategic objectives that 
clearly explain what should be achieved.  

VII The Commission has not addressed the fragmented nature of the services 
markets in its own approach and has only received little information on the 
significantly diverging Member State strategies and approaches in using the services in 
their administrations and in supporting uptake.  

VIII There is no generally recognised conceptual statistical framework in the EU for 
estimating the benefits of space services and the Commission’s estimations have 
shortcomings in terms of methodology and coverage. This makes it challenging to 
reliably estimate the benefits of the programmes. Key performance indicators used 
provide only basic information and do not measure the achievement of main 
objectives of the programmes.  

IX The Commission’s actions aimed at supporting the development of new 
technologies in navigation, access to and use of Copernicus data, raising awareness 
about the programmes, and market uptake. However, the objectives and the impact of 
several key actions were not clear and the potential for synergies is not being exploited 
yet. Moreover, key features of Galileo are not yet available, which may hamper its 
ability to gain the market for these services. 

X The Commission adopted regulations in road safety and emergency services to 
facilitate the uptake of Galileo, but there is still little action in other areas or market 
segments. There is also no comprehensive analysis conducted yet to identify where 
the use of Copernicus could be better promoted in EU legislation. The Commission and 
Member States have also no systematic overview of regulatory or administrative 
barriers that may inhibit the use of space services. 

XI In order to better exploit the potential of the EU’s space programmes, the 
Commission should: 

(a)  develop a comprehensive strategy for supporting the uptake of EU space services; 

(b)  develop a conceptual framework for estimating the benefits of the EU space 

programmes and improve performance measurement; 

 
 
(c)  ensure full readiness of Galileo, and better targeted action on uptake of the EU 

space services; and 

(d)  use the regulatory framework better to support the uptake of EU space services. 

7 

 
 
 
 
8 

Introduction 

The EU space programmes 

01 In the 1990s, the European Union became involved in the development of space 
programmes. The initial reason for this initiative was to provide satellite-based radio 
navigational support to the Trans-European transport networks. In addition, there was 
a need for a global satellite-based Earth observation system to provide information on 
the environment, to understand and to mitigate the effects of climate change, and to 
ensure civil security. 

02 Currently, the EU has three flagship space programmes: 

o  Galileo is a civil global navigation satellite system (GNSS). Started in 1999, the 

programme aims at providing very precise navigation and time signals 
independent from other existing systems. Currently, there are 26 satellites in 
orbit. Since 2016, Galileo provides initial services: an open signal for high-volume 
satellite radio navigation applications such as motor vehicle navigation or mobile 
telephone services, a “public regulated service” (PRS) for governmental users in 
the area of security and defence, and a search and rescue service, which helps to 
faster locate and save people in emergency situations. More services are planned 
to be available in the next few years; a second generation of Galileo with new 
features is already under preparation and the first satellites are foreseen to be 
launched as from 2024.  

o 

o 

EGNOS, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, provides, 
since 2009, navigation services to aviation, maritime, and land-based users by 
enhancing the accuracy of data from the American Global Positioning System 
(GPS). EGNOS consists of three geostationary satellites and 40 ground stations1. 

Copernicus aims to provide accurate and reliable Earth observation information in 
the field of the environment, agriculture, climate, security, maritime surveillance 
and other EU policies. It is the world’s largest programme of its kind and is the 
EU’s contribution to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS)2. 

1  The rules for both EGNOS and Galileo are set out in Regulation (EU) No 1285/2013 of 

11 December 2013 on the implementation and exploitation of European satellite navigation 
systems, OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 1. 

2  The Copernicus programme was established by Regulation (EU) No 377/2014 of 

3 April 2014, OJ L 122, 24.4.2014, p. 44, building on the previous EU Earth monitoring 

 
 
                                                      
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Copernicus became operational with the launch of its first satellite in 2014. 
Currently, it has eight satellites (“Sentinels”) in orbit, with additional Sentinels to 
be launched in the future. 

03 The deployment and the operation of the EU satellite systems entails significant 
and long-term costs for the EU budget. From the start of the programmes until the end 
of 2020, total EU expenditure amounted to more than €18 billion. Galileo and EGNOS 
are fully financed from the EU budget3. The Copernicus programme is financed 
approximately two thirds by the EU budget, with the European Space Agency (ESA) and 
other third parties contributing the remainder of its costs. 

04 The operation of the satellite systems and the deployment of new satellites will 
also entail significant costs for the EU budget in the future. The new single space 
programme starting in 2021, which accommodates the existing flagship programmes, 
will entail a budget of more than €14 billion for financing the operations of Galileo, 
EGNOS and Copernicus and their further evolution up to 20274. 

The value chain of the EU space programmes 

05 All three flagship programmes are primarily justified by the EU’s need for 
independent access to space services providing information on navigation, timing and 
Earth observation data. The services provided by these programmes should also 
promote the growth of markets for GNSS and Earth observation-based applications 
and services within and beyond the EU Internal Market. This should also lead to new 
market opportunities and support the Europe 2020 strategy and its objectives of 
smart, sustainable and inclusive growth5.  

initiative GMES established by Regulation (EU) No 911/2010 of 22 September 2010, 
OJ L 276, 20.10.2010, p. 1. 

3  For more details see Annex I. 

4  Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the 

space programme of the Union and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme 
and repealing Regulations (EU) No 912/2010, (EU) No 1285/2013, (EU) No 377/2014 and 
Decision 541/2014/EU, COM/2018/447 final, 6.6.2018. 

5  See Article 2 of Regulation (EU) No 1285/2013 and Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) 

No 377/2014. 

 
 
                                                      
10 

06 In the value chain for space activities there is usually a distinction between:  

o 

o 

the upstream sector that covers activities leading to the development of space 
infrastructure, the production of satellites and ground stations, the deployment in 
space and their operation; and 

the downstream sector, which covers the acquisition and storage of space data, 
the development of products or services using signals or satellite image data 
(intermediate users), and the end users who use navigation, timing services or 
Earth observation applications in their businesses or daily lives6. 

Figure 1 shows this value chain for the EU space programmes. 

Figure 1 – Value chain of the EU space programmes  

Upstream

COPERNICUS

GALILEO AND EGNOS

Space related research and development

Manufacture and deployment of satellites in orbit

Manufacture of ground stations

Operation of satellite systems

Satellite data and images

Ancillary data

Processing of raw data

Copernicus products

Development of applications using 
Copernicus data and products

Navigation and timing signals

Manufacturing of GNSS enabled

chipsets or devices (components)

System integrators:
Manufacturers of vehicles, aircrafts, 
ships, drones, smartphones, etc.

Public, commercial or private end users 
of Earth observation products: 

Value-added service providers, whose 
services improve access and use of GNSS:

Smartphone applications using GNSS, location-
related data downloads, etc.

Monitoring of public policies

Environmental monitoring

Research and education

Urban monitoring

Weather forecast and climate change

Agriculture and forestry management

Oil and gas exploration

Renewable energies

Coastal and marine exploitation

Disaster prevention and management

Security

Public, commercial or private end users:

Airlines, rail- and road transport, 
ship operators, farmers, land surveyors, 
public security and defence, car owners, 
users of GNSS based smartphone applications, 
etc.

Downstream

Source: ECA. 

6  See, for example, OECD (2007), The Space Economy at a Glance 2007, OECD Publishing. 

 
 
 
                                                      
11 

The Commission’s 2016 Space Strategy for Europe 

07 To give a long-term vision for a European space policy7, in 2016, the Commission 
adopted its Space Strategy for Europe. In view of the significant investments made in 
the space infrastructure and the significant operating costs they entailed, one of the 
four strategic goals defined in the strategy was to better exploit the potential of the EU 
space programmes by maximising their benefits for society and the EU economy. 
Starting from the already existing framework for the EU space programmes, the 
Commission committed in its strategy, to encourage the use of space services, data 
and applications in EU policies, whenever they provide effective solutions8. It also 
committed to ensure that EU legislation supported the uptake of space services where 
justified and beneficial, in line with accompanying measures at national and regional 
level. The European Parliament supported these commitments in two resolutions9. 

08 Dedicated EU funding to support uptake was made available under the space 
programmes or as part of the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research 
and Innovation10. In total, for the period 2014-2020, around €565 million was 
committed by the Commission, the European Global Navigation Satellites Agency 
(GSA), and the Copernicus entrusted entities. Figure 2 shows a breakdown of this 
amount per entity and programme. 

7  Article 189 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, OJ C 326, 26.10.2012, 

p. 47. 

8  Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the 
European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions of 
26.10.2016: Space Strategy for Europe; COM(2016) 705 final.  

9  European Parliament resolution of 8 June 2016 on space market uptake (2016/2731(RSP) 

and of 12 September 2017 on a Space Strategy for Europe (2016/2325(INI)).  

10  Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 

11 December 2013 establishing Horizon 2020 – the Framework Programme for Research 
and Innovation (2014-2020) and repealing Decision No 1982/2006/EC; OJ L 347, 
20.12.2013, p. 104. 

 
 
                                                      
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Figure 2 – Budget for supporting uptake of EU space services (2014-2020) 

Commission 
actions

Actions of Copernicus 
entrusted entities

(amounts in 
million euros)

.

8
8
3

GSA
(Downstream actions)

GSA
(Fundamental elements)

DIAS Initiative

Total:
€565 million

336.2

Horizon 2020

Source: ECA, based on Commission data (amounts committed by 30.6.2020). 

Management of the EU space programmes 

09 The Commission, the ESA, and various other EU and non-EU entities share the 
management of the EU space programmes in cooperation with Member States.  

The role of the Commission 

10 The Commission has overall responsibility for the EU space programmes. It 
supervises their implementation and prepares the annual Galileo and Copernicus work 
programmes. It also manages directly some of the actions supporting the uptake of 
Galileo and Copernicus services.  

11 For both programmes, the Commission chairs a committee composed of Member 
State representatives and delegates from the entities directly involved in the 
programmes, to ensure their coordination. For Copernicus, a specific working group 
(the “User Forum”) assists the Committee in identifying user requirements, verifying 
service compliance and coordinating public sector users. 

 
 
 
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The role of the European Space Agency  

12 The ESA is an intergovernmental organisation established in 1975 with extensive 
expertise in the space domain11. While it is not an EU body, it plays an essential role in 
EU programmes, providing expertise in the technical coordination of the programmes 
and the design, development, procurement and operation of satellite systems12. In 
parallel, the ESA has its own programmes that support the development of positioning, 
navigation and timing technologies that use signals from GNSS and that promote the 
use of Earth observation in science or business applications. 

The role of the European GNSS Agency 

13 The GSA, an EU agency, is responsible for supervising infrastructures, ensuring 
the delivery of the services, and monitoring and developing markets for Galileo and 
EGNOS. It also managed the Fundamental Elements programme that supported the 
development of market-ready chipsets, antennas and receivers used for Galileo and 
EGNOS, and projects under the EU Horizon 2020 programme for these two systems. 
Under the new space programme, a new European Union Agency for the Space 
Programme (EUSPA) will replace and succeed the GSA. Among its responsibilities is 
promoting the uptake of Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus services. 

The Copernicus entrusted entities and their services 

14 The Copernicus programme consists of three components whose management 
was entrusted to various EU and non-EU entities (see Figure 3):  

o 

technical coordination, the operation of the Sentinel satellites and of  
contributing missions of the ESA, Member States or other international partners 
(“space component”), and making available raw data. This is shared between the 
ESA and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological 
Satellites (EUMETSAT), another non-EU organisation. EUMETSAT will also operate 
the future Sentinel missions 4, 5 and 6; 

o 

the provision of the Copernicus services (“service component”), and 

11  Member States of the ESA are Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, 
Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, 
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Finland and Sweden, and, as non-EU Member States, Norway, 
Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia and Slovenia are associate members. 

12  Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1285/2013 and Article 10 of Regulation (EU) No 377/2014. 

 
 
                                                      
14 

o 

the collection of ancillary data from ground-based, sea-borne or air-borne 
monitoring systems (“in-situ component”), for which either the Member States 
are responsible or which come from volunteer contributors. 

Figure 3 – Copernicus components and services 

User forum

European Commission

Committee

SPACE 
component

SERVICES 
component

IN-SITU 
component

Technical coordination

Service

Entrusted entity

Member States

Land monitoring

Marine environment 
monitoring

Atmosphere 
monitoring

Climate change 
monitoring

Emergency 
management

Security 
applications

Sentinel missions

Contributing missions

Member 
States

Partners

Source: European Commission. 

Coordination

15 The Copernicus services are data products or applications related to land, marine 
environment, atmosphere and climate change monitoring, emergency management, 
and security applications. They are a combination of the raw data from the Sentinels, 
from other satellites and ancillary data. There are more than 500 such products and 
their number is constantly evolving (see examples in Box 1). The users of the raw data 
and the products are primarily experts who combine them with other data. They use 
them in research or transform them into applications for end users, such as public 
authorities, businesses or consumers. Copernicus data and services are financed by the 
Programme, but provided free of charge and should, as a rule, not interfere with 
commercial service offers. 

 
 
 
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Box 1 

Examples of Copernicus products 

CORINE Land Cover (CLC) 

The CLC provides harmonized land cover and land use information for all Member 
States. CLC data are, for example, used to develop applications or analyses 
supporting urban or spatial planning, or for geospatial products such as navigation 
software. 

Mediterranean Sea Waves Analysis and Forecast 

The product provides a wave analysis and wave forecasts for the Mediterranean 
Sea. Data are, for example, used for applications supporting port authorities, 
search and rescue missions, or commercial ship operators. 

Sources: Copernicus Land Monitoring Service, Copernicus Marine Service. 

The role of Member States 

16 Member States play an important role in the uptake of EU space services. They 
work in partnership with the EU and the other entities but can adopt their own space 

 
 
 
 
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strategies or programmes and conduct their own actions to support the uptake of 
services provided by the EU space programmes. They have no obligation to coordinate 
these with the Commission. The Galileo PRS (see paragraph 02) directly addresses the 
needs of national authorities. Together with EU or other international institutions and 
bodies, European national, regional or local authorities entrusted with the definition, 
implementation, enforcement or monitoring of a public service or policy are the “core 
users” of Copernicus13.  

13  Article 3(9) of Regulation (EU) No 377/2014. 

 
 
 
 
                                                      
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Audit scope and approach 

17 The audit sought to assess the effectiveness of the measures taken by the 
Commission to promote the uptake of services derived from the EU space 
programmes, towards the achievement of expected economic and societal benefits 
provided by these services.  

18 In particular, we examined whether the Commission:  

(a)  developed a comprehensive and forward-looking strategy for promoting the 

uptake of services provided by the EU space programmes, including all relevant 
actors; 

(b)  set up sound systems to assess the benefits provided by the EU space programmes 

and monitor the achievements of strategic objectives; 

(c)  took effective action to increase the uptake of services; and 

(d)  took appropriate measures towards the creation of a regulatory framework, 
supportive of the uptake of services provided by Copernicus and Galileo. 

19 The results of this audit and the recommendations will add value by helping the 
Commission to promote more effectively, in the new multiannual financial framework 
2021-2027, the uptake of space services provided by the Galileo and Copernicus space 
programmes and to better monitor the achievement of the related objectives 
associated with the programmes. 

20 In this framework, we reviewed the approaches and actions taken by the 
Commission, the GSA and the Copernicus entrusted entities, in supporting the uptake 
of the services provided by the Galileo and the Copernicus space programmes.  

21 We audited a sample of 30 actions funded since 2014. This sample covered key 
actions of the Commission and the other entities, which aimed to significantly enhance 
the uptake of EU space services as well as project related grants under the EU’s 
Horizon 2020 programme. In addition, we used the services of external experts in 
assessing the quality of projects and for general technical support.  

22 We also had meetings with representatives of the entities responsible for 
coordinating and implementing national space policy in the Czech Republic, Germany, 
France and Italy. We selected these Member States from the group of countries that 

 
 
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had adopted own strategies or plans in supporting the uptake of space services 
provided by the EU space programmes. We also met representatives of various 
stakeholder organisations representing European downstream industries14.  

23 Due to its very specific scope and its limited financial importance, we did not 
include the EGNOS within the scope of this audit nor actions related to the uptake of 
the Galileo PRS, which is subject to specific provisions and actions. 

14  European Association of Remote Sensing Companies, Galileo Services, Network of European 

Regions Using Space Technologies. 

 
 
 
 
                                                      
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Observations 

A comprehensive EU strategy that covers the uptake of space 
services is yet to be developed 

Some of the objectives for the uptake of EU space services were 
insufficiently defined 

24 As pointed out above (see paragraph 05), both EU space programmes are closely 
associated with the objective of promoting the growth of markets for GNSS and Earth 
observation-based applications and services and thus support the general policy 
objectives of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. However, as the legal framework 
governing the programmes defines these objectives only in a very general manner, we 
examined whether the Commission had developed a comprehensive and forward-
looking strategy to support the uptake of services that included all relevant actors, and 
defined realistic targets and results.  

25 The 2016 Space Strategy (see paragraph 07) describes in very general terms, the 
objectives and actions for supporting the uptake of Galileo and Copernicus services: 
The Commission endeavoured to “maximise the benefits provided by the EU space 
programmes, connect the space sector better to other policies and economic areas at 
EU level and in all Member States, and optimise the benefits that space brings to 
society and the wider EU economy”15. It also mentioned some general actions to be 
undertaken to achieve this objective, such as introducing Galileo in specific markets, or 
to conduct information campaigns and supporting networks of Copernicus users and 
improve access to Copernicus data16. 

26 In the strategy, the Commission did not define the benefits to be achieved and 
did not set clear targets or priorities, explaining what could be realistically expected by 
“maximisation” of benefits. Nor did it set a timeframe during which these benefits 
should materialise, nor define suitable indicators enabling it to monitor the 
achievement of benefits. This made it difficult from the outset to assess whether the 
actions undertaken met strategic objectives and achieved the desired results. 

15  See COM(2016) 705 final, p. 3. 

16  For a list of key actions envisaged in the 2016 Space Strategy see Annex II. 

 
 
                                                      
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The Commission’s approach for promoting the uptake of Galileo  
and Copernicus is only partly supported with measurable targets 

27 For both space programmes, the Commission prepares annual work programmes 
(AWP), which include implementation plans that detail actions and associated 
budgets17. The purpose of the AWP is to enable financing of actions and monitoring of 
programme related activities of the Commission, the GSA and the Copernicus 
entrusted entities.  

28 For Galileo, the Commission has not yet developed a comprehensive strategy to 
support uptake. Moreover, while, the AWP mentions general objectives, such as “raise 
awareness” or “reinforce market uptake, and standards”, and defines main actions and 
milestones, there are no measurable targets for many actions, and results achieved are 
not clear nor time-bound. For example, in the 2018 work programme, the Commission 
wanted to “foster market uptake of Galileo and EGNOS services outside EU through 
dedicated application projects and awareness raising activities” or ensure that “Galileo 
and EGNOS were appropriately addressed in policy documents and incorporated in the 
research and development activities in the area of autonomous vehicles”. However, it 
is not entirely clear from the AWP, what precise results were expected for the market 
uptake, and by when the Commission expected to achieve them.  

29 The GSA adopted a market development strategy and defined in its multiannual 
programming documents, as part of its performance framework as an EU agency, 
specific, measurable, accepted, realistic and time-bound strategic objectives. It also 
defined clear targets and results for its activities. Due to its role in the Galileo 
Programme, the strategy was focused on the development of markets for GNSS 
services in Europe, which is only a part of the potential market. 

30 For Copernicus, the Commission has not yet developed a comprehensive strategy 
for supporting uptake. However, to complement activities of the Copernicus entrusted 
entities, and on the basis of an analysis of gaps and needs for intervention18, in 2016, 
the Commission created a framework for Copernicus user uptake activities, which 
aimed at (I) awareness raising, (II) facilitating access to Copernicus data and services, 
(III) support of downstream actors and (IV) leverage of Commission actions with 
Member States and the Copernicus entrusted entities, and defined a set of key actions 

17  Article 27 of Regulation (EU) No 1285/2013 and Article 12(2) of Regulation (EU) 

No 377/2014. 

18  Copernicus User Uptake Engaging with public authorities, the private sector and civil 

society. 

 
 
                                                      
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to support uptake19. Most of these actions became part of the Copernicus AWP. 
However, for many of them, the AWP defined the expected output only vaguely such 
as “increased awareness” or “improved visibility”.  The Commission did not prepare 
further programming documents that explained what it wanted to achieve by 
“engaging with national, regional or local stakeholders”, or “fostering the cross-
sectoral dimension of Copernicus” (see Table 1).  

19  Fostering the uptake of Copernicus and space applications; DG GROW (2016), updated in 

July 2017. 

 
 
                                                      
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Table 1 – Objectives and actions for supporting Copernicus user uptake 

Objective 

Action 

Purpose of the action 

Expected output according to the AWP 

Network of Copernicus 
Relays 

Network of Copernicus 
Academy 

Engage with national, regional or 
local stakeholders 
Bridging the gap between e-skills 
and data use, and enable the uptake 
of Copernicus data in new sectors 

Training and information 
sessions 

Provide attendees with examples on 
access and use of Copernicus data 

Increased awareness raising of national Network of 
Copernicus helpdesks/information points. 

(1)  Studies, surveys, workshops, information sessions, 
customized consulting and training services. 
(2)  GIS developer's work to assess and encourage the 
use of Copernicus data and information and the 
usefulness of Copernicus to various communities at 
national, regional or European level. 

Copernicus Market 
Report 

Present opportunities and new 
markets created 

- 

(I) 

Increase 
awareness about 
Copernicus 

Copernicus 
Communication activities 

Maximise impact and relevance of 
communication 

Identify opportunities and needs 
across the Commission to deliver 
tailor made products and 
applications 
Coordinate and support the 
development and implementation 
of user uptake activities in liaison 
with the Copernicus participating 
states 
Strengthen the user driven 
dimensions of Copernicus 

Fostering the cross-sectoral 
dimension of Copernicus 

Improved visibility of the Copernicus programme, 
awareness by the general public, by partner 
organisations, by European and non-European 
institutions and actors, etc. 

- 

Running of the Copernicus User Uptake support office. 

- 

Improved visibility of the Copernicus programme, 
awareness by the general public, by partner 
organisations, by European and non-European 
institutions and actors, etc. 

Extend user groups to others than 
core users 

Increased awareness of Copernicus. 

Ensure long-term availability and 
development of Sentinel satellites 

- 

Evolution of Copernicus products 

Service evolution defined. 

Support the creation and growth of 
businesses which use Copernicus 
data 

Contribute to innovation in the 
Copernicus downstream sector 

Develop actions to satisfy short and 
medium term skill needs 

(1)  A new Copernicus Accelerator to provide a 

mentoring service to start-ups. 
(2)  Copernicus Incubation Programme. 
Ensure the complementarity, consistency and links 
between Copernicus and other programmes such as 
Horizon 2020. 
Promoting and implementing Copernicus in the frame of 
the action. 

Facilitate access to international 
markets for European Earth 
observation companies 

Increasing the knowledge of the programme in 
international fora and attracting new users. Diffusing 
knowledge on data, information and products. 

Supporting the Copernicus 
entrusted entities in their user 
uptake activities 

- 

Copernicus internal 
uptake in the 
Commission 

Support office for 
Copernicus user uptake 

Organising regular 
satisfaction surveys 
Produce success stories 
and material and present 
Copernicus to different 
market sectors 
Setting up a regular 
dialogue with industry 
through the Copernicus 
user forum 
Ensuring maximum 
predictability for users 
Delineation of the 
Copernicus programme 

Copernicus Start-up 
programme 

Increasing synergies 
between Copernicus and 
Horizon 2020 
Copernicus Skills 
Programme 
Promote 
internationalisation 
through existing policy 
instruments such as 
COSME 
Enhance coordination 
between the user uptake 
activities of the 
entrusted entities 

Caroline Herschel 
Framework Partnership 
Agreement 

Promote the user uptake of 
Copernicus and space applications 

(1)  Involvement of public authorities in the 

implementation and the promotion of the 
Copernicus programme. 

(2)  Extended use of Copernicus in public authorities, in 
particular for the monitoring and implementation of 
Union regulation and policies. 

(3)  Support to the development of innovative 

Copernicus-based applications. 

(4)  Boosting jobs and growth in the Copernicus 

downstream sector. 

(II)  Facilitate access 
to Copernicus 
data and services 

(III)  Support 

downstream 
actors, 
researchers and 
public service 
providers 

(IV) Leverage 

the Commission 
actions with 
Member States 
and entrusted 
entities 

Source: European Commission. 

 
 
 
 
 
23 

31 In 2019, the Commission set up the InnovFin Space Equity Pilot (ISEP) under the 
Single EU Equity Financial Instrument, to encourage investments in capital funds 
whose strategies target upstream and downstream space technologies, 
commercialisation and market uptake. Space related projects could also be eligible 
under the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI), but which at the conclusion 
of the audit supported only projects in the upstream space industry, or under the EU 
programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized 
Enterprises (COSME)20 and, in the framework of national smart specialisation 
strategies, from the European Regional Development Fund21. However, as these 
instruments were not specifically designed for supporting the uptake, they are not 
monitored for this purpose and thus their contribution to the uptake of EU space 
services is not known.  

The Commission uses Copernicus data well in policy monitoring, but has 
yet to develop a comprehensive strategy to further enhance its use 

32 In 2015, the Commission conducted a mapping exercise to identify the potential 
use for Copernicus data within the Commission, for example, for monitoring policies or 
for promoting the use of Earth observation in EU legislative texts.  

33 In 2019, an internal evaluation conducted by the Commission’s Joint Research 
Centre (JRC) found that while many Commission services recognised the benefit of 
global monitoring and used data for analyses, they did not exploit Copernicus and 
Earth observation related data and information fully22. However, to date, the 
evaluation, which had not included EU agencies or other EU bodies, has not been 
followed by a more thorough analysis of gaps, and the Commission has not developed 
yet a strategy to enhance further the use of Copernicus and other Earth observation 

20  Regulation (EU) No 1287/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 

11 December 2013 establishing a Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and 
small and medium-sized enterprises (COSME) (2014-2020) and repealing Decision 
No 1639/2006/EC, OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 33. 

21  Regulation (EU) No 1301/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 

17 December 2013 on the European Regional Development Fund and on specific provisions 
concerning the Investment for growth and jobs goal and repealing Regulation (EC) 
No 1080/2006, OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 289. 

22  Copernicus and Earth Observation in Support of EU policies – Part I: Copernicus Uptake in 

the European Commission, 2020. 

 
 
                                                      
24 

data within the Commission and other EU institutions or bodies covering all relevant 
policy areas. 

The role of the Copernicus entrusted entities in supporting uptake was 
not clearly defined and their approaches varied 

34 Regulation 377/2014 requires the Copernicus entrusted entities to ensure public 
sector uptake. From 2014 to 2020, these entities had a total budget of around 
€43 million for supporting uptake (see Figure 4). 

Figure 4 – Budgets of the Copernicus entrusted entities for supporting 
uptake (2014-2020) 

Source: ECA, on the basis of Commission data (amounts committed by 30.6.2020). 

 
 
 
25 

35 We found that the delegation agreements between the Commission and the 
Copernicus entrusted entities do not clearly define their tasks in supporting uptake. 
The available budgets for promotion activities varied significantly, as did the entities’ 
approaches in promoting Copernicus services and products. For example, the entity in 
charge of the Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service (CMEMS), 
Mercator Océan International, adopted a user uptake strategy, whereby it sought to 
extend its service to new user communities. It also had a specific budget to support the 
identification of demonstration cases (i.e. individual small projects in downstream 
applications) promoting the CMEMS.  

36 On the other hand, the European Environment Agency, which is in charge of the 
Pan-European component of the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS), had no 
uptake strategy and only a very limited budget to promote these services, although 
this component is significantly important for uptake23. It also lacked sufficient 
information on who the users of the services were and what they did with the data. 

There is limited coordination of the Member States’ uptake strategies 

37 Member States and the ESA are close partners in the EU space programmes but 
they have no obligation to coordinate their own space strategies or measures with the 
Commission or the GSA. While cooperation between the ESA, which set up a 
programme to support the development of positioning, navigation and timing 
technologies, and the GSA is very close, prior to 2019 the GSA had only received little 
information on Member State strategies and actions in supporting the uptake of 
Galileo services.  

38 In 2019, the GSA analysed available information on national space programmes 
of Member States and found that 18 Member States had a national space strategy24. 
While four Member States had adopted specific national programmes to support the 
uptake of Galileo and EGNOS services, they had not coordinated their programmes 
with the GSA25. No common roadmaps have yet been agreed between the GSA and 

23  Copernicus Market report, 2019, p. 32. 

24  Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Greece, France, Italy, 
Luxemburg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Finland and 
Sweden. 

25  Belgium, Ireland, Austria and Finland.  

 
 
                                                      
26 

Member States to focus efforts on the segments most in need of EU support or to 
leverage national efforts. 

39 For Copernicus, Member States play an important role, as national, regional and 
local authorities are core users of the programme. In its 2016 analysis26, the 
Commission found significant differences among Member States in their stages of 
development. Although the Commission has carried out a number of actions, these 
were not part of a comprehensive strategic approach to specifically address the 
different needs in the design of its actions to support uptake. This is also reflected in 
the results of the Commission’s 2018 impact assessment where it is stated that 
Copernicus did not sufficiently manage to attract potential users from outside the 
traditional space user communities, and which identified the need to strengthen the 
integration of space data into other policy areas and economic sectors27. 

40 Besides a very limited number of larger players, the European suppliers of 
applications using Earth observation data consist of many specialised micro, small and 
medium enterprises28. On the demand side, in 2016, the public sector accounted for 
more than half of the European Earth observation downstream market in Europe. 
However, demand is very fragmented, with many national, regional or local authorities 
being potential users of space services. This could be an obstacle for a cost-effective 
use of space services across public authorities and Member States. 

41 In the four Member States selected, we found significant differences in how the 
authorities had integrated the EU space programmes into national policies and 
supported the uptake (see Box 2).  

26  See footnote 18.  

27  Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the proposal for a Regulation of the 
European Parliament and of the Council establishing the space programme of the Union 
and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme and repealing Regulations (EU) 
No 912/2010, (EU) No 1285/2013, (EU) No 377/2014 and Decision 541/2014/EU, 
SWD(2018) 327 final, 6.6.2018, p. 11. 

28  European Association of Remote Sensing Companies, Industry Survey 2020. 

 
 
                                                      
27 

Box 2 

Significant differences in supporting uptake by Member States 

Germany and France had adopted national work programmes, which assisted the 
national administrations in the uptake of Copernicus and other space services, but 
they had not conducted a comprehensive analysis of how their use could enhance 
the efficiency and effectiveness of their public administrations. The Czech Republic 
had included user uptake in its national space plan, but a specific work programme 
had yet to be developed. 

In France, the programme covered only the services under responsibility of two 
ministries29. However, the French Space Agency CNES moved from solely 
promoting space services and entered into specific partnerships with public 
administrations, agencies for economic development and initiatives supporting 
start-up companies to facilitate deployment, adoption and commercialisation of 
space applications, better connect the space sector with non-space actors and to 
facilitate the transfer of knowledge as a source of innovation. 

Italy adopted a national strategy to exploit the potential of the EU space 
programmes in a holistic manner and with a view to enhancing economic 
growth30. In contrast to the traditional approach of supporting individual small 
projects in downstream applications (“demonstration cases”), the novelty of the 
strategy was to focus on economic development and investment by the private 
sector and planned to pool demand of local or regional governmental authorities 
not using the potential of space services. This should create synergies between 
public authorities and enable them to benefit from cost-effective solutions. 

42 These national initiatives showed promise in enhancing the use of space 
applications, but they remain limited to the Member States concerned and did not 
specifically address the EU market. We found that the Commission had no up-to-date 
overview of the overall situation of such national initiatives and had not considered 
them in its own strategic approach. 

29  Plan d’applications satellitaires (2018). 

30  Strategic Plan “Space Economy” (2016). 

 
 
 
                                                      
28 

The EU space programmes provide benefits but there is limited 
information on their extent 

There is no recognised conceptual framework for assessing the benefits 
of space services  

43 The provision of space services is associated with a number of economic and 
societal benefits. These benefits derive from both the upstream and the downstream 
sectors (see Figure 5): 

Figure 5 – Types of benefits generated by Copernicus and Galileo 

Source: ECA. 

44 There is no recognised conceptual framework for estimating benefits in the 
domain of space infrastructure, nor a structured system for compiling statistical data 
on the benefits of space services. Neither, is there an official definition of the value 
chain of the space economy, nor an agreed definition of “downstream activities”.  

45 In 2012, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 
published a Handbook on measuring the space economy, which proposes some 
methods and sources and a set of indicators31. Although the Commission used some 

31   OECD (2012): OECD Handbook on Measuring the Space Economy, OECD Publishing. 

 
 
 
                                                      
29 

information from the handbook, it did not consider it fit for measuring the EU space 
economy and followed an own approach for determining the socio-economic benefits 
from Copernicus and Galileo, similar to those used by other European space actors. In 
the absence of an established conceptual framework, it is challenging to reliably 
estimate benefits from space services, compare them to other economic sectors, or 
devise a cost-benefit analysis of the space programmes. 

The methodology used by the Commission for determining the benefits 
of space services has shortcomings 

46 The Commission stated in 2018 that the impact of the services provided by the 
EU space programmes on economic growth and employment in the EU will eventually 
outweigh the substantial public investments made in the EU’s space programmes32. It 
supported this statement by several studies, which estimated the benefits resulting 
from the EU space programmes. Such estimations are also important in the 
assessment of the impact of new space programmes. The estimation of the benefits of 
the programmes should thus be based on sound and, where applicable, consistent 
methodology, and realistic data. We examined whether the Commission applied a 
sound methodology consistently between the two programmes and whether the 
studies used reliable data sources. 

47 Economic benefits of the space programmes can be expressed by the Gross Value 
Added (GVA) of the companies active in the space upstream and downstream sectors. 
The GVA corresponds to the value generated in the production sector and can be 
measured as the total of all incomes earned in the process of producing goods and 
services plus taxes on production and imports, less subsidies. However, the method 
used by the Commission to estimate the generated income by both Copernicus and 
Galileo was not in line with the conceptual framework set in Regulation 549/2013 used 
to calculate the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the EU33, and thus resulted in an 
inaccurate measurement of this type of benefit. 

32  Impact Assessment accompanying the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament 
and of the Council establishing the space programme of the Union and the European Union 
Agency for the Space Programme and repealing Regulations (EU) No 912/2010, 
(EU) No 1285/2013, (EU) No 377/2014 and Decision 541/2014/EU; SWD(2018) 327 final, 
6.6.2018, p. 7. 

33  Regulation (EU) No 549/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 

21 May 2013 on the European system of national and regional accounts in the European 
Union, OJ L 174, 26.6.2013, p. 1.  

 
 
                                                      
30 

48 The methodology to calculate the benefits of Galileo differed from that of 
Copernicus. Non-monetary benefits, such as the contribution to mitigating climate 
change or lives rescued thanks to GNSS, had been attributed monetary values, 
resulting in different assessments for the same benefits. Examples of shortcomings in 
the calculation of benefits resulting from the EU space programmes are shown in 
Box 3. As a result, the economic impact on growth and jobs may be underestimated, 
while the actual overall benefits of the programmes may be overestimated.  

Box 3 

Examples for shortcomings in the calculation of benefits resulting 
from the EU space programmes 

For Galileo and Copernicus, the Commission estimated the benefits for the whole 
value chain (upstream and downstream), but did not include public entities, such 
as universities, national space agencies, or non-profit organisations.  

For Copernicus, the Commission did not include in its assessment the impact of 
the downstream activities in the GDP. In a separate study assessing the benefits of 
Copernicus for the downstream sector, the Commission included the “enabled 
revenues”, which are the value of goods or services, which European producers 
could sell, thanks to programme. However, apart from a general lack of data, 
these do not correspond to the income generated and the Commission did not 
estimate the resulting indirect and direct impacts for the downstream sector. As a 
result, the economic impact on growth and jobs may be underestimated due to 
insufficient coverage of the relevant statistical units and a lack of data. 

The assessment of the benefits of Galileo included non-monetary benefits, such as 
the reduction of emissions, the time drivers saved in traffic jams, thanks to 
navigation systems, or the number of lives saved. Similarly, for Copernicus, the 
assessment encompassed societal benefits, such as meeting air pollution targets 
and decreased exposure to air pollution, reduction of harmful emissions, 
reduction of road traffic accidents, or reduction of casualties in maritime disasters. 
However, instead of including them in the list of indicators, these were reported in 
monetary values, which is subjective. The Commission could also not underpin its 
assumptions with sufficient evidence and reliable data. In summary, this may lead 
to inaccurate estimations of the actual benefits of both space programmes. 

The Commission lacks information and relevant key performance 
indicators to monitor uptake 

49 Both Regulations 1285/2013 for Galileo and EGNOS and 377/2014 for Copernicus 
as well as the new regulation establishing the EU space programme require the 

 
 
31 

Commission to monitor regularly performance. They also define basic performance 
indicators34. Apart from technical aspects, such as the availability of the services or 
data, the Commission has to monitor regularly the impact of the services on the 
various sectors of the economy, and to assess if EU industries actually increase their 
market share in the worldwide downstream market for satellite navigation and in 
Earth observation. This requires the definition of relevant indicators, as a basis for 
evaluating the effects of the programmes. 

50 For Galileo, the GSA generally provides useful and overall consistent key 
performance indicators showing progress made. However, over time, their number 
had grown to 97 output and result indicators, which made monitoring them complex. 
Some indicators are not presented in a meaningful context, which makes their 
interpretation difficult. For example, the indicator showing the number of companies 
commercialising products using Galileo shows annual changes, but does not indicate 
how much of the respective market these companies represented. Moreover, there 
are no indicators on the costs and benefits of the GSA’s efforts to develop certain 
markets over others for their strategic and economic importance. By the end of this 
audit, the GSA was already working on a new, simpler set of indicators. 

51 For the uptake of Copernicus services, the Commission monitors key parameters, 
such as the increasing number of Copernicus users registered with the ESA or the other 
entrusted entities, data volumes downloaded, or the number of trainings or promotion 
events organised. However, there is only partial information on the number of users, 
given that they may also register with national data distribution platforms or other 
third parties. It is also difficult for the ESA and the other entrusted entities to collect 
information on who actually uses Copernicus data and for what purposes. The 
Commission did not clearly define uptake-related key performance indicators of the 
Copernicus entrusted entities and their reporting was not harmonised. It was also 
difficult to conclude on the actual uptake of services from the number of training or 
promotion events organised. 

52 Regulation 377/2014 required the Commission to monitor the use of Copernicus 
data and information by specific result indicators. This included core users, such as 
national, regional or local authorities, market penetration, the expansion of the 
existing markets, creation of new markets, and competitiveness of the European 

34  Articles 12 and 34 of Regulation (EU) No 1285/2013 and Article 4(3) of Regulation (EU) 

No 377/2014. Article 101 of the future Regulation establishing the space programme of the 
EU (see footnote 4).  

 
 
                                                      
32 

downstream operators35. However, the diversity of possible applications of Copernicus 
makes it difficult for the Commission to gather suitable aggregated data supporting 
these indicators. In 2019, the Commission published a market report, which indicated 
that in 2017 around 72 % of Earth observation companies in Europe already used 
Copernicus data or services, compared to 66 % in 201636, but there was very little 
information on the extent to which the core users used Copernicus, or the extent to 
which the services had contributed to strengthening the competitiveness of European 
downstream operators. 

There is considerable progress in enabling the use of Galileo 
services but key features are not yet available to reap full 
benefits  

53 After GPS and the Russian Glonass, Galileo is the third GNSS that provides 
navigation and timing services. When taking up initial services in 2016, Galileo had 
already eight years delay compared to the initial plans37. GPS had a significant 
advantage as the first worldwide open GNSS, and is used by most receiver devices. 
Although Galileo services demonstrated higher accuracy than the other GNSS services, 
after a major adverse event in 2019 resulting in its unavailability for six days, the 
relevant parties (the GSA, the Commission and the ESA) had to consistently work on 
actions to increase Galileo’s stability, robustness and resilience. Moreover, other 
providers may soon achieve a similar level of accuracy. A new generation of GPS 
satellites with improved accuracy is currently being deployed in space and expected to 
be operational in the coming years. 

54 In this context, the GSA had to identify the most relevant market segments for 
Galileo services and design actions to develop these markets. We analysed whether 
the GSA had conducted an effective market research and whether its actions followed 
clearly established needs, were targeted at supporting uptake and had a measurable 
impact on the use of Galileo services. 

35  Article 4(3)(c) and (d) of Regulation (EU) No 377/2014. 

36  Copernicus Market Reports, 2016 and 2019, p. 8. 

37  See also Special Report No 7/2009: “The management of the Galileo programme’s 

development and validation phase”.  

 
 
                                                      
33 

Further success of Galileo services depends particularly  
on the availability of key features 

55 We found that the GSA had identified effectively current key market segments for 
GNSS services such as smartphones, automotive manufacturers, or producers of 
surveying equipment, and their requirements. 

56 The GSA established close contacts with worldwide appliance manufacturers and 
promoted the availability of Galileo-ready chips and receivers on the market. A major 
achievement was that, by 2020, leading suppliers, representing more than 95 % of the 
GNSS chipset market, produced Galileo-ready chips and modules, Galileo compatible 
receivers are available in many market segments and are usually inter-operable with 
the other GNSS. This contributes to enhance overall accuracy of navigation, but does 
not mean that equipment or receivers give priority to Galileo for acquisition of signal. 
GPS has still a strong market penetration and it will take time until most users have 
adopted Galileo compatible technologies across the various market segments.  

57 The High Accuracy Service (HAS) and a Navigation Message Authentication 
Service (OSNMA) are key features (“differentiators”) of Galileo. The OSNMA consists of 
a digital signature of the navigation signals to ensure their authenticity. A Commercial 
Authentication Service (CAS), which provides an encrypted Galileo signal, should be 
available to protect against signal replay attacks. Such services are not provided by 
other GNSS and are thus a unique selling point of Galileo. The CAS is also the only 
Galileo service that the Commission planned to make available against a fee and which 
thus may generate revenue for the EU budget. 

58 Although planned to be fully operational by the end of 2020, Galileo has not yet 
achieved this status. The development of both the HAS and the OSNMA accumulated 
further delays. Testing is planned for 2021, to enable industries to validate compatible 
receivers but services may not be available before 2024. The CAS is still under 
definition and it is not clear when it will be operational. While this does not inhibit 
developing potential markets, it may hamper Galileo’s ability to gain the market for 
these services and thus capitalise on the respective investments in Galileo before other 
GNSS provide similar services. 

Actions for supporting evolution and use of Galileo services are of good 
quality but risks for their effective uptake remain  

59 Since 2014, the GSA incurred around €22 million for market development and 
supporting uptake of Galileo and EGNOS services. By mid-2020, the GSA also awarded 

 
 
34 

grants of €141 million for 79 projects under the Horizon 2020 programme and financed 
support of around €41 million for 14 projects under its Fundamental Elements 
programme.  

60 We observed that from the publication of the calls for proposals of a project until 
the end of a project, more than four years can elapse. In fast changing technology 
markets, we see a general risk that the results of the projects are obsolete by the time 
they are available. 

61 As part of our sample (see paragraph 21), we reviewed eight actions that the GSA 
had supported under the Horizon 2020 programme, the Fundamental Elements 
programme, or as part of its market development, that had been completed at the 
time of audit. We found that the actions generally addressed a clearly established 
technical need or targeted a promising market, were of appropriate technical quality, 
and achieved objectives in terms of output and timing. However, some markets are 
still developing and the contribution of projects to uptake can only be assessed in the 
longer term. In other cases, uptake can depend on potential customers of innovative 
solutions having the necessary funding (see Box 4). 

Box 4 

Factor hindering the uptake of EU funded actions supporting Galileo 
services 

In one case, the GSA supported the development of a pre-commercial prototype 
to demonstrate the technical feasibility of using Galileo in smart transport systems 
and for monitoring urban infrastructures. However, three years after the end of 
the project, a product was still not available on the market. According to the GSA, 
municipalities interested in the project had financial limitations to implement new 
technologies within the intelligent transport domain. 

Commission’s actions to support the uptake of Copernicus data 
were fragmented and synergies were not exploited 

Several key actions of the Commission had unclear objectives,  
were fragmented and lacked funding 

62 Since 2014, the Commission supported directly the uptake of Copernicus with 
around €30 million. In addition, some €83 million was available for facilitating new 

 
 
35 

ways of access to Copernicus data. For supporting Copernicus uptake under the 
Horizon 2020 programme, grants of €194 million for 79 projects with a specific focus 
on the market uptake and evolution of Copernicus services were awarded. As part of 
our sample, we reviewed six key actions supported directly by the Commission (see 
paragraph 30) and eight projects funded under the Horizon 2020 programme, which 
aimed at supporting uptake and had been completed by the time of our audit.  

63 To increase awareness about Copernicus, the Commission set up the Copernicus 
Academy and the Copernicus Relays networks. The objective of the Copernicus 
Academy is to support uptake by universities and research centres, through providing 
course material and dedicated information for public research organisations; the 
Copernicus Relays networks aims at better understanding user needs, increasing 
awareness at the national, regional and local levels, and spreading best practice.  

64 We found that since 2017, the Commission successfully engaged with more than 
160 Academy members in all 27 Member States, as well as in some third countries, and 
more than ninety Copernicus Relays partners including national authorities, 
government agencies, innovation clusters, companies operating in the space sector, as 
well as university institutes and not-for profit organisations. In 2019, the Copernicus 
Relays organised some 200 events to raise awareness. However, the partners do not 
receive direct funding and there is no information on whether they contribute to a 
structured user uptake with long-term impact on the national, regional or local levels. 

65 As set out in its 2016 Space Strategy for Europe, the Commission also supported 
start-ups. To this end, it organised or supported financially prizes to support innovative 
ideas (“Hackathons” or “Masters”) and set up Accelerator and Incubation Programmes. 
While the Copernicus Accelerator financed annually the coaching of around 
40 innovative companies by experienced mentors, the Copernicus Incubation 
Programme supported some 20 innovative companies using Copernicus with a grant of 
€50 000 on top of support they already received from other incubation initiatives, for 
example, the ESA’s own business incubators. However, the number of start-ups 
supported was small, and the Commission has not clarified its goals in supporting 
these programmes. There was no further monitoring of the progress made by the 
start-ups after the end of the acceleration or incubation period. Therefore, it is not yet 
possible to assess whether these two initiatives contributed to supporting start-up 
companies in an effective and efficient manner. 

66 Another key action, the Caroline Herschel Framework Partnership Agreement 
(FPA) aimed at closer cooperation with interested Member States. Under the FPA, 
public entities, such as space agencies or research institutes in 22 Member States, 

 
 
36 

propose projects to the Commission and award grants to support actions under three 
specific objectives (“tiers”), whereby the EU budget supports up to 85 % of the costs 
(see Table 2). 

Table 2 – Objectives and actions of the Caroline Herschel Framework 
Partnership agreement 

Tier 

Objective 

Actions 

1 

Support national user uptake  

2 

3 

Support global uptake, including 
European cross-border and 
international user uptake 

Support business solutions and 
innovative applications 

Source: European Commission.  

National information, training or 
innovation events, dialogue with 
actors, developing downstream actions 
and services. 

Multi-national information, training or 
innovation events, dialogues with 
actors, piloting of downstream 
applications and services. 

Developing downstream applications 
and services, promoting national and 
multi-national innovation actions. 

67 The FPA enables the Commission to directly support uptake together with 
national partners and thus leverage its actions. However, with numerous smaller and 
isolated actions such as workshops, trainings or projects under the various tiers, its 
implementation was fragmented. The expected overall impact and the relationship 
with national strategies for supporting uptake remained largely unclear. For example, 
the programme included actions aimed at developing a best practice catalogue to 
serve as inspiration for potential new users of Copernicus in the public sector, or to 
raise awareness about how Copernicus services could support public administrations. 
As the use of Earth observation data is complex and requires expertise, actions 
supported by the FPA require complementary measures such as hiring experts in the 
national administrations, which is not ensured.  

68 For the first year of the programme, 2018, the Commission budgeted a 
contribution of €6 million. However, at the time of our audit, many projects were 
delayed, mainly due to the late signature of grant agreements or contracts and 
delayed pre-financing arrangements. For the actions taken up in the 2019 annual work 
programme, the planned EU funding of €8 million only occurred after a significant 
delay. Specific grant agreements could thus only be signed in September 2020, at 
which time, the financing of the actions for the work programme 2020 was still unsure. 

 
 
37 

Projects funded under the Horizon 2020 programme are generally of 
good quality but their impact on Copernicus uptake cannot be assessed  

69 The Horizon 2020 programme was an important pillar in the Commission’s efforts 
to support the uptake of Copernicus. Targeted actions were included in the part of the 
programme dedicated to space, but applicants using Earth observation data were also 
eligible under non-space related parts of the Horizon 2020 work programmes38.  

70  We reviewed the calls for proposal on Copernicus uptake of the 2014/15 and 
2016/17 Horizon 2020 work programmes and analysed for eight completed projects, 
whether they had contributed to a significant uptake of Copernicus services. 

71 The projects we reviewed were technically plausible and met most of the 
objectives defined in the work programmes. However, for three of six projects 
specifically targeted at market uptake, it was unclear if the beneficiaries had 
succeeded in developing services capable of generating a significant turnover for the 
participants, or achieve a significantly wider use of Copernicus. We also noted that for 
some calls for proposals, the expected impact was very ambitious, as the small number 
of projects awarded made it unlikely to achieve this objective (see Box 5). 

38  See Chapter 5 iii) of the bi-annual Horizon 2020 work programmes.  

 
 
                                                      
38 

Box 5 

Ambitious objectives but limited impact 

Under the call for proposals EO-1-2016 Downstream applications, the Commission 
wanted to enhance the European industry’s potential to take advantage of market 
opportunities and establish leadership in the field, and to boost business activity. 
However, only five projects were supported. In spite of promising results from 
some, due to their small number and limited scope, they are unlikely to have a 
significant impact on Europe’s industry as a whole. 

Public authorities are core users of Copernicus. Under call EO-2-2016 Downstream 
services for public authorities, the Commission wanted to launch demand-driven 
innovation actions by public authorities aiming at customising Copernicus 
information. The intention was to establish: 

(a) buyer groups for Earth observation services;

(b) Copernicus-enabled national, regional or local applications, in support of

public authorities, promoting EO-based actions; and

(c)

sustainable supply chains for the delivery of downstream EO-based services
to public authorities.

However, following this call, the Commission received only two project proposals 
out of which one grant could be awarded to a project in marine Earth observation. 

The Commission facilitates access to Copernicus data, but the potential 
for synergies is not being exploited 

72 Appropriate access to Copernicus data and products is key for an effective uptake
of services. We examined whether the Commission had a cost effective and synergetic 
approach in providing such access to Copernicus data and services. 

73 The ESA and EUMETSAT set up data hubs where users could download the
Sentinel raw data. As part of the infrastructure, thirteen EU Member States financed 
and operated national mirror sites for Copernicus data, the collaborative ground 
segments (CollGS)39, some of them with additional services for their users. The entities 

39  Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, France, Italy, Luxemburg, 

Austria, Portugal, Romania, and Finland. Spain, Hungary and Poland were developing or 
planning to set up national platforms as well.  

39 

entrusted with the service components made the Copernicus products available via 
their own solutions for data access. 

74 As the amount of data and information generated by the Copernicus programme
were challenging for the traditional downloading of data, in 2016, a task force 
comprised of representatives from the Commission, ESA, EUMETSAT, Member States 
and Copernicus participating countries was established. This task force proposed 
putting in place solutions for improving the availability of Copernicus data and 
products40. As part of this initiative, the Commission has financed the creation of the 
Data and Information Access Services (DIAS). However, an integrated ground segment 
has not been achieved, and Copernicus data is still made available on a range of 
platforms operated by the ESA, the Copernicus entrusted entities, Member States and 
private operators. 

75 The DIAS are innovative, digital cloud-based platforms, located in the EU, which
enable users to exploit large volumes of Copernicus and other space data, without 
having to transfer and store them on their own computer networks. The purpose was 
to enhance competition among these platforms, and with existing services, and 
combine them with additional commercial services to make the platforms 
economically sustainable and independent from public funding in the long term. 

76 When setting up the DIAS platforms, there was uncertainty about the number of
potential users who would be willing to pay for services and thus ensure the economic 
sustainability of the platforms. The Commission eventually decided to support five 
such platforms until 2021. However, their number made it more difficult to attract a 
sufficient number of users, in order to achieve critical mass, benefit from network 
effects and thus compete effectively with non-EU operators providing similar services. 
Since the DIAS platforms became operational in mid-2018, the use of their services has 
remained very low compared to the overall number of active Copernicus users, with 
only a small number of users currently paying for some of them. Furthermore, the 
Commission did not sufficiently promote the use of the services under other dedicated 
instruments supporting uptake, such as Horizon 2020, by encouraging beneficiaries to 
use this new tool for processing their data. 

77 The Commission does not yet have a strategy on how to integrate further access
to Copernicus data and processing, in a cost efficient manner: Only one of the thirteen 

40  Operational Implementation Plan - Proposed approach to implement the roadmap and 

annexes of the Integrated Ground Segment and Big Data Governance Task Force, 
15.6.2016. 

40 

CollGS has been implemented using a DIAS infrastructure and thus showing interest 
towards convergence. The Commission has also not yet clarified how access to, and 
processing of, Copernicus and other space data would be integrated into its European 
Open Science Cloud initiative41. This initiative seeks to address the fragmentation of 
data infrastructures in the EU in general, by developing facilities for storing, sharing 
and re-using scientific data and cross-fertilisation of different data sets, including Earth 
observation data. 

Regulatory measures can facilitate the uptake of EU space 
services but gaps remain 

78 In its 2016 Space Strategy for Europe, the Commission also committed to take 
regulatory measures (where justified and beneficial), to introduce Galileo into specific 
markets or areas and, in the longer term, to encourage the uptake of space solutions 
through standardisation measures. 

79 We assessed whether the Commission had effectively identified such 
opportunities for regulatory or standardisation actions for supporting the uptake of 
space services and had acted upon them. As existing legal provisions can also inhibit 
the use of space services (for example, public administrations rules prohibiting the use 
of space data or services), we also examined whether the Commission and the 
Member States selected had taken steps to identify and remove such barriers. 

Regulatory action facilitated the use of Galileo compatible devices,  
but further action is required 

80 Satellite navigation and timing services are subject to numerous technical 
standards and regulation. These can be EU rules, national rules or standards set by 
international agreements or standardisation organisations. Such measures can support 
the uptake of space services, because they allow equipment manufacturers 
standardise their products and ensure interoperability of systems. As satellite 
navigation systems use radio frequencies, standards are also necessary to protect 
signals from interferences. 

41  Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the 

European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, European 
Cloud Initiative – Building a competitive data and knowledge economy in Europe, 
COM(2016) 178 final of 19.4.2016. 

 
 
                                                      
41 

81 The Commission already adopted regulatory measures to facilitate the uptake of 
Galileo services in the domain of road safety and emergency42. These initiatives 
effectively supported equipping new cars and mobile phones with Galileo compatible 
chipsets, enabling emergency responders to get to the scene of an accident faster. 
Moreover, in 2020, a relevant international standard, which had privileged the use of 
GPS as the preferred navigation signal of devices, was updated, now allowing device 
manufacturers to choose the preferred GNSS, which is likely to support a more 
widespread use of Galileo services. 

82 In 2017, a Commission study identified gaps and future needs for standardisation 
to support market penetration of Galileo and EGNOS and proposed roadmaps for 
different market segments43. The Commission also elaborated a European Radio 
Navigation Plan, which provides an inventory of existing and emerging radio navigation 
systems and gives an overview of the EU legislation relevant for radio navigation44. 
After consultation with Member States, the Commission defined three priority areas, 
where regulation or standardisation could be beneficial45: 

o 

o 

o 

Intelligent transport and mobility: manned aviation, unmanned and autonomous 
aircrafts, intelligent road transport systems, maritime transport, and rail 
transport; 

Intelligent interconnectivity: Location based services (for example in 
smartphones), connected devices, known as Internet of Things (IoT), and 
interaction with public administrations; and 

Intelligent infrastructures: timing and synchronisation services in critical 
infrastructures such as energy, telecommunication or transport. 

83 At the conclusion of this audit, moderate progress has been made: A mapping of 
activities of the Commission and of the GSA, concerning Galileo compatible 
downstream standards development were included in the 2020 Galileo work 
programme and studies and projects in the area of air traffic, road transport and 
maritime applications are ongoing. However, to be effective, complementary sector-

42  See Annex III. 

43  Overview of EGNSS downstream standardisation and assessment of gaps and future needs, 

1.2.2018. 

44  European Radio Navigation Plan, 9.3.2018. 

45  Commission Staff Working Document – EGNSS downstream standards development, 

SWD(2019) 454, 20.12.2019. 

 
 
                                                      
42 

specific regulatory action is required in these sectors. For important fields of 
application of GNSS, standards must be agreed by international bodies, which can be 
complex and time consuming. In relevant areas, sector-specific regulation, for 
example, for road transport and logistics, autonomous cars or drones, is still 
incomplete or missing. The Commission currently monitors these challenges, but no 
time schedule exists for issuing suitable regulation or standards for each policy or 
market segment and thus further facilitating the adoption of Galileo. 

84 We also observed little progress in the field of intelligent interconnectivity and 
connection of public administrations (outside the PRS): There are no standards yet to 
strengthen the position of Galileo in relevant IoT or artificial intelligence applications. 
For connecting citizens to the public administration, the Commission’s actions have 
been limited to farmers using satellite navigation, as part of a digital platform project. 

The Commission does not sufficiently promote the use of Earth 
Observation in its regulations  

85 A finding of the Commission’s 2015 mapping exercise (see paragraph 32) was that 
EU legislation could help to implement EU policies more efficiently and reduce 
administrative burden. A significant step forward was the adoption of a legal base, 
encouraging Member States to use Earth observation for monitoring the 
implementation of the common agricultural policy46. However, we observed only little 
progress in other sectors, where legislation could help to better promote the use of 
Copernicus and other Earth observation data. To date, only very few EU legal 
provisions, such as Regulation 2018/841 on land use and forestry monitoring for 
purpose of meeting the EU greenhouse gas emission reduction target, require that 
best use be made of Copernicus and Galileo for data collection47. Moreover, the 
Commission has not conducted a comprehensive analysis on where EU legislation 
could better promote the use of Earth observation data. 

46  Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/746 of 18 May 2018 amending 

Implementing Regulation (EU) 809/2014 as regards modification of single applications and 
payment claims and checks, OJ L 125, 22.5.2018, p. 1. 

47  Regulation (EU) 2018/841 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30.5.2018 on 
the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from land use, land use change 
and forestry in the 2030 climate and energy framework, and amending Regulation (EU) 
No 525/2013 and Decision No 529/2013/EU, OJ L 156, 19.6.2018, p. 1. 

 
 
                                                      
43 

There has been little action in identifying regulatory or administrative 
barriers for the uptake of space services  

86 Apart from technical standards that could prevent using the full potential of the 
EU space programmes (see paragraph 81), there can also be regulatory or 
administrative barriers against the use of Earth observation and navigation services, 
for example, in law enforcement, or where procurement rules do not allow the use of 
such services. Moreover, the use of new technologies based on Sentinel data can 
require significant changes to administrative procedures and IT systems48. 

87 We found that the Commission had no systematic overview about how Member 
State administrations used space data and whether there were any regulatory barriers 
preventing their use. In Italy, the national authorities had set up a high-level working 
group to identify possible national and European regulatory barriers that may affect 
the uptake of products and services provided by Copernicus and Galileo, but results of 
this work were not yet available. In the Czech Republic, Germany and France, the 
national authorities had not yet conducted such an analysis.  

48  Special Report No 4/2020: “Using new imaging technologies to monitor the Common 
Agricultural Policy: steady progress overall, but slower for climate and environment 
monitoring”. 

 
 
 
 
                                                      
44 

Conclusions and recommendations 

88 Our overall conclusion is that the EU space programmes Galileo and Copernicus 
provide valuable services and data, which the Commission promoted in various ways 
but it has not done enough to fully harness their potential. More efforts are needed to 
capitalise on the significant investment made to achieve the expected societal and 
economic benefits and thus to strengthen the EU Internal Market.  

89 In its 2016 Space Strategy for Europe, the Commission endeavoured to maximise 
the economic and societal benefits provided by the European Space programmes but 
did not set clear targets and priorities, explaining what could be realistically expected 
under “maximisation” and did not set a timeframe for achieving these objectives 
(paragraphs 24 to 26).  

90 There is no comprehensive strategy yet for promoting the uptake of the EU space 
programmes, and the Commission’s approaches are only partly linked to specific, 
measurable, accepted, realistic and time-bound strategic objectives that clearly explain 
what should be achieved (paragraphs 27 to 31).  

91 Internally, the Commission makes good use of Copernicus data in policy 
monitoring. However, it does not fully exploit the potential of the data and it has not 
yet developed a strategy to further enhance their use within the Commission and 
other EU institutions or bodies (paragraphs 32 and 33). 

92 The Commission has not clearly defined the role of the Copernicus entrusted 
entities in supporting uptake. Consequently, not all of them had a dedicated strategy 
and their approaches in supporting uptake varied (paragraphs 34 and 36).  

93 The Commission and the GSA only received little information on Member State 
strategies and approaches in supporting uptake. The approaches of the Member States 
selected varied but in spite of promising initiatives to better connect the space sector 
with non-space actors, there were no comprehensive analyses of where Copernicus 
services could enhance efficiency and effectiveness of public administrations. 
Moreover, the Commission has not yet addressed the fragmented structure of the 
markets for space services in its own approach (paragraphs 37 to 42). 

 
 
45 

Recommendation 1 – Develop a comprehensive strategy  
for supporting the uptake of EU space services 

In order to support the further uptake of EU space services more effectively, the 
Commission should: 

(a)  develop a comprehensive strategy for supporting the uptake of Galileo and 

Copernicus services that include all relevant actors and entities at their various 
levels, clarify their roles and define realistic and measurable targets to be 
achieved;  

(b) 

identify together with Member States where EU space services could enhance the 
efficiency and effectiveness of public administrations with a view to address the 
fragmented structure of markets. 

Timeframe: 2023 

94 The provision of space services is associated with a number of economic and 
societal benefits, but there is no generally recognised conceptual and statistical 
framework for estimating such benefits. This makes it challenging to reliably quantify 
these benefits and put them in perspective, relative to the costs of the space 
programmes (paragraphs 43 to 45). 

95 The benefit estimations of the Commission have shortcomings in terms of 
methodology and coverage. The assessment of the benefits of both programmes were 
not comparable and some benefits may be over- or underestimated (paragraphs 46 
to 48). 

96 The Commission has to monitor regularly the results achieved with the 
implementation of the programmes by relevant key performance indicators. While for 
Galileo, the GSA has an overall consistent system of output and result indicators, the 
large number of indicators adds complexity and their interpretation is sometimes 
difficult. For Copernicus, indicators provide only very basic information on the uptake 
of services and do not inform about the achievement of key objectives of the 
programme (paragraphs 49 to 52). 

 
 
46 

Recommendation 2 – Develop a conceptual framework  
for estimating the benefits of the EU space programmes  
and improve performance measurement 

In order to estimate economic and societal benefits of space services in a more reliable 
and consistent manner and to monitor more effectively the achievement of key 
objectives, the Commission should:  

(a)  develop a conceptual framework for estimating the economic and societal 

benefits of the EU space programmes, involving other stakeholders such as the 
OECD, the ESA and Member States, and harmonise the assessment of benefits of 
the EU space programmes, on the basis of sound methods and reliable data; and 

(b)  monitor the achievement of the objectives defined by the space programmes on 

the basis of a set of appropriate performance indicators.  

Timeframe: 2024 

97 Good progress has been made in enabling Galileo compatible receivers and 
uptake in many relevant market segments, but the availability of key features of 
Galileo is significantly delayed, which may hamper its ability to gain the market for 
these services (paragraphs 55 to 58). 

98 Actions taken to support the uptake of Galileo services were of appropriate 
technical quality, and achieved objectives in terms of output and timing. However, for 
many of the projects reviewed it is not yet known whether the development of 
innovative products will lead to significant market uptake, which can only be assessed 
in the longer term (paragraphs 59 to 61). 

99 The Commission’s key actions for Copernicus aimed at raising awareness on the 
programme, support start-ups and cooperate more closely with Member States to 
enhance uptake. However, the objectives and the impact of several of these actions 
were not clearly defined, their contribution to a structured user uptake unclear, and 
some of them lacked funding (paragraphs 62 to 68).  

100 For Copernicus-related actions, under the Horizon 2020 programme, the 
Commission supported generally good quality projects, but their small number made it 
unlikely to achieve the expected impact. For some projects, their contribution to 
uptake was unclear (paragraphs 69 to 71). 

 
 
 
47 

101 The Commission facilitated access to Copernicus data and cloud-based services, 
but data is currently provided through a number of channels. The potential for 
synergies is not yet being exploited and the Commission has not clarified the 
integration of Copernicus in the European Open Science Cloud initiative (paragraphs 72 
to 77). 

Recommendation 3 – Ensure full readiness of Galileo and better 
targeted action on uptake of the EU space services 

In order to better support uptake and provide efficient access to space data and 
products, the Commission should: 

(a)  make the technical and legal arrangements needed for full readiness of the 

Galileo differentiators; 

(b)  for key actions, define clearly the objectives and the expected impact and pursue 

complementarity with Member State actions; and 

(c)  develop, in cooperation with Member States and other relevant actors, a long-
term framework for a more sustainable and integrated approach of access to 
Copernicus data and products, and seek the integration of Copernicus in EU 
cloud-based infrastructures. 

Timeframe: 2024 

102 Commission regulation contributed in the domain of road safety and 
emergency to the compatibility of devices with Galileo, which promises a more 
widespread use of Galileo services. However, other actions in priority areas are still 
under preparation and there is still no time schedule showing when regulation or 
standards can be expected in each policy area or market segment (paragraphs 80 
to 84). 

103 In Earth observation, the Commission has not sufficiently promoted the use of 
Copernicus data in EU legislation, and has not yet conducted a comprehensive analysis 
where EU legislation could better promote its use (paragraph 85). 

104 Regulatory or administrative barriers may inhibit the use of space services. 
However, the Commission and the Member States selected had no systematic 
overview about such barriers and how they could be removed (paragraphs 86 and 87). 

 
 
48 

Recommendation 4 – Better use the regulatory framework  
to support the uptake of EU space services 

In order to encourage and facilitate further uptake of services under the EU space 
programmes, the Commission should: 

(a)  conduct an analysis where EU legislation or standards could promote making best 

use of Copernicus data and products; 

(b) 

identify, together with Member States, regulatory and administrative barriers 
inhibiting the uptake of EU space services and support them to remove such 
barriers; and 

(c)  define time schedules for each relevant market segment, where regulation or 
standardisation can facilitate the use of Galileo and closely monitor them. 

Timeframe: 2024 

This Report was adopted by Chamber IV, headed by Mr Alex Brenninkmeijer,  
Member of the Court of Auditors, in Luxembourg on 23 March 2021. 

For the Court of Auditors 

Klaus-Heiner Lehne 
President 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
49 

Annexes 

 – Budget for the EU Space Programmes 

Galileo and EGNOS 

(in million €) 

before 2014 

2014-2020 

TOTAL 

Galileo development phase 

Galileo deployment phase 

Galileo exploitation phase 

EGNOS exploitation 

GNSS Research 

European GNSS Agency 

Other administrative and operational 
expenditure 

Other costs 

1 380 

2 473 

426 

240 

58 

34 

82 

2 825 

2 940 

1 514 

426 

206 

79 

1 380 

5 298 

2 940 

1 940 

666 

265 

113 

82 

Total Galileo and EGNOS 

4 693 

7 990 

12 684 

Copernicus (EU financed part) 

Copernicus infrastructure 

Copernicus services 

Administrative expenditure 

778 

512 

3 503 

764 

96 

4 281 

1 276 

96 

Total Copernicus 

1 290 

4 363 

5 653 

Total all space programmes 

5 983 

12 353 

18 336 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
50 

 – Key actions in the 2016 Space Strategy for Europe 

Objectives  

Main actions 

1. Maximising the benefits of space for society and the EU economy 

—  promote the uptake of Copernicus, EGNOS and Galileo solutions in EU 
policies where justified and beneficial, including in the short term, with 
measures introducing the use of Galileo for mobile phones, and critical 
infrastructure using time synchronisation. 

—  facilitate the use of Copernicus data and information by strengthening data 
dissemination and setting up platform services, promoting interfaces with 
non-space data and services. 

—  stimulate the development of space applications with a greater involvement 

of new actors from different domains. 

—  remain committed to the stability of the EU space programmes and prepare 
the new generations, on a user-driven basis, to continue delivering state-of-
the-art services. To this end, the Commission will explore alternative 
business models and take account of technological progress. 

—  address emerging needs related, in particular, to climate change, sustainable 

development and security and defence. 

1.1. Encouraging 
the uptake of 
space services 
and data 

1.2. Advancing 
the EU space 
programmes and 
meeting new user 
needs 

2. Fostering a globally competitive and innovative European space sector 

2.1. Supporting 
research and 
innovation and 
development of 
skills 

2.2. Fostering 
entrepreneurship 
and new business 
opportunities 

—  step up efforts to support space research and development activities, in 

cooperation with Member States and ESA, and review its strategic approach 
to boosting the competitiveness of the European space sector. 

—  strengthen the use of innovative procurement schemes to stimulate the 

demand-side of innovation and explore new approaches to leverage private 
sector investments and partnerships with industry. 

—  together with Member States and ESA, promote the use of common 

technology roadmaps to ensure greater complementarity of research and 
development projects. 

—  include space/Earth observation in the blueprint for sectoral cooperation on 

skills addressing new skills requirements in the sector. 

—  step up support to space entrepreneurs through EU funding programmes to 

facilitate further financing of investments in the space sector. 

—  engage in a dialogue with the EIB and EIF on the support of investment in 

the space sector as part of the overall Investment Plan for Europe. 

—  support space start-ups, including by exploring synergies with the upcoming 
Fund of Funds, and facilitate the emergence of space hubs and clusters 
across Europe. 

 
 
 
 
51 

 –  Regulatory measures facilitating the uptake  

of Galileo services 

Regulation 

Area 

Directive (EU) 2019/520 of 19.3.2019 on 
the interoperability of electronic road 
toll systems and facilitating cross-border 
exchange of information on the failure 
to pay road fees in the Union 

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 
2019/320 of 12 December 2018 
supplementing of Directive 2014/53/EU 
of the European Parliament and of the 
Council with regard to the application of 
the essential requirements referred to in 
Article 3(3)(g) in order to ensure caller 
location in emergency communications 
from mobile devices 

Road transport 

Localisation of persons in case of an 
emergency 

Commission Implementing Regulation 
(EU) 2016/799 of 18.3.2016 laying down 
the requirements for the construction, 
testing, installation, operation and repair 
of tachographs and their components 

Localisation of vehicles having a mass of 
more than 3,5 tonnes (in goods 
transport) and carrying more than 
9 persons including the driver (in 
passenger transport) 

Regulation (EU) No 2015/758 of 
29.4.2015 concerning type-approval 
requirements for the deployment of the 
eCall in-vehicle system based on the 
112 service and amending Directive 
2007/46/EC  

Emergency assistance for cars and light 
commercial motor vehicles 

 
 
 
 
52 

Acronyms and abbreviations 

AWP: Annual work programmes 

C3S: Copernicus Climate Change Service 

CAMS: Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service 

CEMS: Copernicus Emergency Services 

CLMS: Copernicus Land Monitoring Services 

CMEMS: Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service 

CollGS: Collaborative Ground Segment 

CORINE: EU programme for coordination of information on the environment 

COSME: EU programme for small and medium sized enterprises 

DIAS: Data and Information Access Services 

ECMWF: European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts 

EGNOS: European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service 

EIB: European Investment Bank 

EIF: European Investment Fund 

ESA: European Space Agency 

EUMETSAT: European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites 

EUSPA: European Union Agency for the Space Programme 

GIS: Geographic Information System 

GLMS: Copernicus Global Land Monitoring Service 

GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System 

GSA: European GNSS Agency 

IoT: Internet of Things 

JRC: Joint Research Centre 

 
 
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 

PRS: Public Regulated Services 

53 

 
 
 
 
54 

Glossary 

Copernicus: The EU’s Earth observation and monitoring programme, which collects 
and processes data from satellites and Earth-based sensors to provide environmental 
and security information.  

Copernicus core users: For the purpose of the Copernicus regulation, an EU institution 
or body, or a European, national, regional or local authority entrusted with defining, 
implementing, enforcing or monitoring a public service or policy. 

European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS): Satellite based system 
that enhances signals from GPS and makes them suitable for safety critical applications 
such as aviation. 

Galileo: European global satellite based navigation system. 

Ground segment: All the ground-based elements of a spacecraft system, used to 
control the spacecraft and relay data. 

Sentinels: Fleet of satellites providing Earth observation data under the Copernicus 
programme. 

 
 
REPLIES OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN COURT OF 
AUDITORS SPECIAL REPORT: “EU SPACE PROGRAMMES GALILEO AND 
COPERNICUS: SERVICES LAUNCHED, BUT THE UPTAKE NEEDS A FURTHER 
BOOST” 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

I. Common Commission reply to paragraphs I to IV. 

Europe  is  a  global  power  in  space.  Space  policy,  along  with  a  strong  and  dynamic  space  sector,  is 
essential  to  implementing  EU’s  climate  and  digital  strategies.  Space  has  a  direct  impact  on  EU’s 
geopolitical  goal  of  strategic  autonomy.  Space  is  an  enabler  for  a  wide  range  of  industrial  and 
technological activities. 

The Union has made significant investments in EU space programmes, which enabled progress that 
no  Member  State  could  have  achieved  on  its  own.  The  Union’s  flagship  space  programmes  are 
excelling.  Copernicus  is  a  leading  provider  of  Earth  observation  data  across  the  globe.  Galileo, 
Europe's own global navigation satellite system, is the most accurate satellite navigation system that 
exists and with almost 2 billion users is one of the most successful EU services.  

These EU space programmes already deliver services that have become indispensable in everyone's 
daily  lives.  Space  data  is  needed  in  using  mobile  phones,  driving  cars  with  a  navigation  system  or 
taking  the  plane.  It  allows  farmers  to  plan  ahead.  It  helps  to  protect  the  environment  and  monitor 
climate change. Space data is important for our security and defence. It is also central to the protection 
of key infrastructures such as power plants, smart grids and for managing borders. It improves EU’s 
response to earthquakes, forest fires and floods.  

In 2016, the European Commission adopted the Space Strategy for Europe, a cornerstone for a vision 
and direction of the EU’s space policy. Its first strategic goal is to maximise the benefits of space for 
society and the EU economy. It set up main actions for the Commission to encourage the uptake of 
space services and data.  

Since  2014,  the  Commission  has  taken  various  specific  measures  to  promote  the  market  and  user 
uptake  of  Galileo  and  Copernicus  services.  While  these  measures  were  conceived  separately  for 
Galileo and Copernicus services given their different legal framework, the new EU space programme 
for 2021-2027 will for the first time provide a common framework for all space data and services. The 
new EU space programme puts great emphasis on the downstream sector, the market uptake and the 
exploitation of space data. This will allow for streamlining the market and user uptake activities of all 
space data and services. 

V.  The  Commission  acknowledges  the  importance  to  carry  on  the  promotion  and  uptake  of  the 
Galileo and Copernicus services and to further capitalise on these investments.  

VI. For market uptake of the Galileo services, the Commission’s role was to assess the possibilities 
for  promoting  and  ensuring  the  use  of  these  services  across  various  sectors  of  the  economy.  The 
European  GNSS  Agency  was  in  charge  of  the  promotion  and  marketing  of  the  Galileo  services,  by 
carrying  out  the  market  analysis,  by  establishing  close  contacts  with  users  and  by  drawing  up  an 
action plan for the uptake by user communities of the services.  

VII. The Commission is aware of the fragmented nature of the services market and therefore proposed 
several pieces of EU legislation on the uptake, for example, in the area of road safety and emergency 
services. 

IX. The objectives for Galileo and Copernicus programme were defined in their respective legal bases 
and  detailed  actions  were  included  in  the  annual  work  programmes.  The  impact  of  the  actions  was 
measured by Key Performance Indicators defined in the respective legal basis and monitored in the 
programme statements accompanying the draft budget proposal.  

 
 
 
The Commission will continue its work to improve the coherence of all these activities. 

X. The Commission points out that it is also engaged in market segments other than road safety and 
emergency services and is introducing Galileo and Copernicus in EU legislation related to the Green 
and Digital Agenda.  

XI. The Commission accepts all recommendations. 

INTRODUCTION 

6.  Second  bullet  point  -  The  Commission  notes  that  the  provision  of  high-level  information  (e.g. 
Copernicus Services) can also be defined as “midstream”. 

OBSERVATIONS 

24.  In  the  period  2014-2020,  the  flagship  space  programmes  Galileo/EGNOS  and  Copernicus  were 
based  on  two  distinct  legal  frameworks  with  different  objectives  and  a  different  pace  for  their 
implementation. The  provision  of  EGNOS  services  started in  2009,  of  Copernicus  services in  2014 
and of Galileo services in 2016.  

With regard to market uptake, the two legal frameworks did not foresee any provisions for merging 
the  market  uptake  activities  of  these  programmes  during  the  period  of  2014-2020.  Each  of  the 
programmes developed a separate user and market uptake strategy.  

Furthermore, both programmes were not operational at the same time and had initially very different 
primary  user  target  groups  (institutional/research  for  Copernicus;  mass  market/private  for  Galileo). 
Given this context, the Commission has not yet been in a position to develop a strategy targeting both 
EU space programmes. 

The new regulation establishing the Space Programme of the Union will be a basis for developing a 
strategy for the uptake of all EU space services in the future.   

25.  The  2016  Space  Strategy  is  a  political  document  the  purpose  of  which  is  to  set  a  vision  and 
direction of the EU’s space policy. The first goal of the Space Strategy is to maximise the benefits of 
space for society and it indicates key actions for encouraging the uptake of space services and data. 
These key actions were then translated into specific actions in the individual annual work programmes 
of  Galileo/EGNOS  and  Copernicus,  as  well  as  into  a  specific  market  development  strategy  of  the 
European GNSS Agency. 

26. The Commission underlines that the 2016 Space Strategy was conceived as a political document 
setting up a vision and direction of the EU’s space policy, not as an Action Plan for uptake of space 
services. The Space Strategy is not considered to be a framework against which the performance of 
the EGNSS and Copernicus programmes are to be measured.  

It needs to be noted that the two separate mid-term evaluations of the programmes carried out in 2017 
(ref.:  COM(2017)  616  final  and  COM(2017)  617  final)  demonstrated  considerable  achievements  in 
uptake of services.  

27. The Commission adopts the annual work programme in a form of an implementation plan of the 
actions  required  to  meet  the  specific  objectives  of  the  Galileo  and  Copernicus  programmes.  The 
purpose  of  the  annual  work  programme  is  to  decide  on  the  spending  of  the  commitment 
appropriations  and  to  provide  certain  detail  on  the  budget  implementation.  In  this  context,  annual 
work programmes do not foresee a monitoring objective. 

28.  The  Commission  adopted  the  annual  work  programme,  which  in  addition  to  general  objectives 
such  as  “Reinforce  market  uptake  and  standards”,  contained  a  part  called  “Main  actions  and 
milestones” that describes the actions in detail together with the timeline. 

The  results  on  these  actions  and  their  progress  was  closely  monitored  through  Quarterly  Progress 
Reports, where progress of the actions under each objective was tracked.  

29. In cooperation with the Commission, the European GNSS Agency developed and implemented a 
detailed market development strategy with detailed targets, actions and key performance indicators.  

 
 
With regard to the geographical coverage of the market, it needs to be noted that Europe has been the 
most important and the largest market for Galileo and EGNOS services. 

30. In 2016 the Commission conducted a detailed gap analysis, which provided a solid basis for an 
effective user engagement approach for the Copernicus programme. Key recommendations of the gap 
analysis were broadly translated into actions in the annual work programme. 

The  new  Space  Programme  Regulation  will  provide  a  coherent  framework  for  the  Commission  to 
promote and ensure the uptake and use of data and services provided by the programme components. 

The Commission supports the Member States in their user uptake activities. It encourages and fosters 
a dynamic bottom-up approach in close collaboration with the Member States. 

31.  To  foster  the  European  space  sector,  the  Commission  intends  to  continue  and  further  scale  up 
these initiatives in 2021-2027, making use of the various Union programmes from Horizon Europe, to 
the  EU  Space  Programme  and  InvestEU.  The  Commission  also  intends  to  launch  a  new  space 
entrepreneurship initiative CASSINI for the period 2021-2027 to increase the number and improve the 
market penetration of space-based start-ups and to facilitate their access to public and private capital.  

32. Commission’s common reply to paragraphs 32 and 33. 

The  use  of  Copernicus  data  and  services  has followed  the  evolution  of  both  the  space  and  services 
component.  As  new  Copernicus features become  available  more  policy  areas  are  being  targeted for 
uptake. 

In  2019,  the  Commission carried  out  a survey  and  assessment  on  the  use  of  Earth  Observation  and 
Copernicus data and information in different EU policies. The recommendations are documented in a 
public  report1.  One  concrete  follow-up  to  this  discussion  has  been  the  setting  up  of  a  Knowledge 
Centre on Earth Observation (KCEO) to be officially launched in 2021 to boost the use of Copernicus 
within the Commission and other EU institutions/bodies.  

35.  The  Commission  acknowledges  the  ECA’s  observation.  However,  the  Entrusted  Entities 
organised a number of uptake and outreach activities targeting their specific constituencies. 

In  accordance  with  this,  Entrusted  Entities  have  organised  a  significant  number  of  awareness/user 
support,  appreciated  by  the  stakeholders.  At  programme  level,  the  promotion  of  Copernicus  is 
coordinated  by  the  Commission  within  the  so-called  Copernicus  Ecosystem  Team  network,  which 
serves  as  a  platform  for  Entrusted  Entities  and  the  Commission  to  present  their  plans  and  identify 
potential synergies to avoid duplication of costs and efforts for horizontal events. 

For Copernicus 2.0, the Commission will seek to ensure a better alignment and streamlining across 
the different contribution agreements for the tasks and budgets in supporting uptake. 

36. While recognising that EEA had a limited budget to promote the Copernicus services under the 
current Delegation Agreement with the Commission (ending in 2021), the Commission considers that 
this situation should improve with the future agreement between the Commission and EEA.  

Moreover, exploiting the full potential of Copernicus is emphasised in the new EEA/Eionet Strategy 
2021-2030 recently adopted by the EEA Management Board. EEA has a key role to play in enhancing 
the Copernicus user uptake through its network (Eionet) and stakeholders, including Environmental 
Protection  Agencies  and  public  organisations  involved  in  monitoring  and  implementation  of 
environmental policies. 

37.  Neither  the  Commission  nor  the  European  GNSS  Agency  has  a  competence  to  impose 
coordination of national space strategies. Member States have no obligation to coordinate their own 
space strategies or measures with the Commission or with the European GNSS Agency. 

1   Kucera,  J.,  Janssens-Maenhout,  G.,  Brink,  A.,  Greidanus,  H.,  Roggeri,  P.,  Strobl,  P.,  Tartaglia,  G.,  Belward  A.,  M. 
Dowell,  Copernicus  and  Earth  observation  in  support  of  EU  policies  -  Part  I:  Copernicus  uptake  in  the  European 
Commission, EUR 30030 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2020, ISBN 978-92-76-14559-
2, doi:10.2760/024084, JRC118879. 

 
 
                                                           
39. The Commission recalls that it has no competence to act directly at national level. The uptake of 
Copernicus  at  national  level  is  the  responsibility  of  the  Member  States.  Enforcing  a  top-down 
approach is not acceptable for the Member States.  

Nevertheless,  in  order  to  support  the  bottom-up  approach  and  based  on  the  2016  analysis,  the 
Commission set up various actions to address needs at the local, regional and national level. Examples 
include  the  creation  of  the  Copernicus  Relay  and  Academy  Networks,  the  organisation  of  national 
info days in Member States, hackathons, university sessions, a Framework partnership agreement or 
thematic workshops to support best practice exchanges on national and regional levels, as well as a 
dedicated  workshop  on  complementarity  between  EU  and  Member  States  user  uptake  strategies  in 
20192.  

40.  The  Commission  acknowledges  that  the  demand  for  downstream  products  is  very  different  and 
fragmented  mainly  due  to  different  Member  States’  and  users’  needs.  The  private  sector  is  better 
suited to respond to specific request of their geographical area of activity and the downstream sector 
itself provides tools for public authorities and Member States as a marketplace to discover tailor-made 
solutions.  

41.  The  Commission  acknowledges  that  different  Members  States  may  have  different  approaches 
towards  Earth  Observation  solutions.  The  delegates  to  the  Copernicus  user  forum  and  Copernicus 
Committee are regularly encouraged to share their national experience with other national delegates. 

42. The Commission has facilitated best practice exchanges of national initiatives in the context of the 
Copernicus User Forum and Copernicus Committee, and through workshops with Member States. 

44. As there is no existing recognised conceptual framework for estimating benefits in the domain of 
space, the Commission in cooperation with the European GNSS Agency considers that it developed a 
sound methodology for determining the socio-economic benefits from Galileo and EGNOS. 

45.  The  market-related  input  data  used  in  this  methodology  and  published  in  the  bi-annual  Market 
Report  have  become  the  global  reference  point  in  this  domain.  The  calculated  value  of  benefits  is 
comparable to those estimated in other regions (Economic Benefits of the Global Positioning System 
to the U.S. Private Sector Study published by NIST in 20193) and other space programmes.  

The Commission considers that although improvements may be further achieved, the estimates of the 
benefits from space services are useful. 

47.  The  methodologies  used  in  the  Commission’s  studies  for  calculating  economic  benefits  are 
recognised and used in Europe in several other industrial sectors; they are not in disagreement with 
any of the indications provided by the OECD Handbook.  

The assessment of the Copernicus downstream industry was based on a thorough literature review to 
identify the most suitable methodologies. It highlighted the main difficulty in assessing the benefits 
derived from the use of Earth Observation (EO) data, namely the extent to which the benefits could be 
directly attributed to or associated with Copernicus data. 

48. The Commission underlines the very challenging nature of calculations for estimating benefits on 
elements  like  mitigation  of  climate  change  or  on  number  of  lives  that  could  have  been  saved  by 
observations in disaster events. 

Societal and wider impacts include wider social benefits like increased safety and security, national 
prestige, environmental impacts, outreach impacts. Those impacts are extremely important to assess, 
as  they  complement  the  view  of  the  monetary  (GDP  and  catalytic)  impacts.  Regarding  Galileo  and 
EGNOS, they have been established in line with the Commission’s impact assessment guidelines. 

2   Copernicus Workshop: Fostering synergies in Copernicus user uptake activities at European and national level, 19 June 

2019. 

3   https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2019/10/economic-benefits-global-positioning-system-us-private-sector-study 

 
 
                                                           
Box  3  -  Examples for  shortcomings  in  the  calculation  of  benefits  resulting  from  the  EU  space 
programmes 

 For Galileo, public entities such as universities, national space agencies and non-profit organisations 
are already considered only insofar as they receive funding through the Horizon 2020 Calls on Space 
and the related spill over effect is taken into account. 

The  economic  benefits  enabled  by  public  investments  in  space  activities  are  mostly  intangible  and 
complex to capture. The changing nature of spin-off requires a micro-economic approach rather than a 
macro-economic one in order to understand a complex phenomenon at the scale of the firm.  

The  aim  of  this  micro-diffusion  approach  is  to  show  the  existence  of  the  phenomenon  rather  than 
providing  an  exact  figure  to  prevent  overestimation  of  benefits.  The  complexity  of  the  economic 
phenomenon  in  the  case  of  the  use  of  Copernicus  data  &  products  justifies  the  use  of  a  micro-
diffusion  model  to  understand  at  the  level  of  the  firm  how  the  data  &  products  are  used  and  are 
creating specific knowledge leading to sales increase or cost reduction.  

In  the  opinion  of  the  Commission,  other  methodologies  such  as  the  GDP  impact  assessment 
methodology are less able to capture the complexity of this type of phenomenon and assess accurately 
such economic impact. 

49.  The  legal  frameworks  for  Galileo  and  Copernicus  programmes  provide  specific  objectives  and 
performance indicators for each of the programmes, including some related to market uptake.  

51. The heterogeneity of the Copernicus user uptake key performance indicators (KPIs) was due to 
differences in individual delegation agreements with the various Copernicus entrusted entities. 

For communication actions specifically, the Commission harmonised the KPIs between the entrusted 
entities. This has allowed quarterly aggregation of results and monitoring of certain trends.  

For the next programming phase, the Commission seeks to further streamline the definition of the K 
PIs across the different Entrusted Entities. 

53. After the 2019 incident, which affected Galileo performance and service availability, the system 
has been largely reinforced and improved. 

While other providers are working on increasing their accuracy levels, Europe already started to build 
Galileo's  second  generation  infrastructure  to  remain  at  the  forefront  of  satellite  navigation.  First 
satellites are foreseen to be launched as from 2024. 

60. The Commission highlights that research and innovation projects can develop over their lifetime, 
and  adjust  their  actions  to  technological  developments.  There  are  also  dedicated  mechanisms,  for 
innovation projects in particular, to exploit the potential of latest innovations. For instance, in some 
projects “open calls” can be launched (so-called grants to third parties) by the consortia themselves. 

61. The Commission highlights that also projects funded under other segments of Horizon 2020, also 
support the uptake of Galileo and EGNOS services. In the portfolio of Horizon 2020 actions, end user 
orientation and the development of business models play an important role. 

While  the  development  of  innovative  solutions  developed  for  the  market  also  depends  on  the 
resources  of  potential  customers,  the  Commission  aims  at  capitalising  the  results  of  research  and 
innovation actions, through a strong research-policy interface and dedicated follow-up actions. 

Box 4 - Factor hindering the uptake of EU funded actions supporting Galileo services 

The  Commission  points  out  that  selling  products  to  institutional  users  is  more  difficult  than  selling 
products to private entities.  

The Commission also underlines that it is not from the outset clear that an R&D project will lead to 
successful or marketable products. 

65. The Commission considers that the support to start-ups via financial prizes was well defined and 
well  monitored  by  identifying  at  the  start  of  each  Accelerator  round  the  objectives,  needs, 

 
 
expectations of the start-up and its mentor. During the coaching period, the progress of the objectives 
achieved was monitored, as well as a feedback about the usefulness of the coaching.  

Building upon these initiatives, the Commission prepares the launch of a new space entrepreneurship 
initiative  CASSINI  (Competitive  Space  Start-ups  for  INnovatIon)  for  the  period  2021-2027  to 
improve the market penetration of space-based start-ups. 

67.  The  ambition  of  the  Caroline  Herschel  Framework  Partnership  Agreement  was  to  be  a 
comprehensive  uptake  tool  addressed  to  Member  States,  responsive  to  their  needs,  and  with  an 
inclusive grass-root approach. 

The  limited  resources  available  to  the  instrument  would  make  support  for  long-term  expert 
employment difficult, but it has to be noted that many actions supported have capacity building effect, 
influencing Member State’s agencies in hiring such professional figures on their own. 

68. The initial delays in implementation were also due to the need for clarifying a few  legal aspects 
related  to  the  functioning  of  this  new  instrument.  They  have  since  then  been  absorbed,  with  all 
specific  grant  agreements  from  2019  work  programme  approved  in  2020;  the  first  specific  grant 
agreements  from  the  2020  work  programme  were  submitted  late  2020  and  were  in  the  process  of 
being  approved.  The  2021  work  programme  needs  to  follow  the  adoption  schedule  of  the  Space 
Programme Work programme. 

Box 5 - Ambitious objectives but limited impact 

The Commission underlines that demand-driven innovation actions by public authorities are amongst 
the most difficult Research & Innovations actions to develop and promote. The Commission received 
two  proposals  following  the  call  on  Earth  Observation  “EO-2-2016”  and  this  is  rather  to  be 
considered a success.  

The  Commission  underlines  that  a  very  limited  number  of  grants  awarded  is  not  unusual  at  all  for 
these types of action. 

76. The option regarding the number of Data and Information Access Services (DIAS) was proposed 
to Member States in the “Operational Implementing Plan” and the solution retained by Member States 
was to have more than one DIAS.  

In Copernicus, the DIAS are the only services provided to users at a cost. Copernicus had no metrics 
for  paying  services  since  the  data  and  information  are  provided  on  a  free  basis.  There  has  been  a 
continuous  uptake  of  such  paying  services  per  users.  The  Commission  did  promote  the  use  of  the 
DIAS  in  Horizon  2020  and  research  project  have  on-boarded  on  the  DIAS.  ESA  and  EUMETSAT 
also  promoted  the  use  of  the  DIAS,  for  example  in  the  Network  of  Resources  scheme.  The  DIAS 
helped relieve archive infrastructures. 

77. Actions to reduce cost in a cloud environment have been implemented in all of the DIAS. They 
consist  of  a  balance  between  online  data  and  near  line  data.  In  the  Commission’s  opinion,  these 
actions are cost-efficient since the cost driver is the size of the archive to be made available online. 
The  Commission  is  working  on  the  rationalisation  and  improvement  of  the  Copernicus  data  access 
and exploitation infrastructures. 

While one Member State is already using DIAS related infrastructures, it needs, however, to be noted 
that Member States in general aim to be independent in the setting up of their collaborative ground 
segments. 

Copernicus strategy is to offer facilities to any users (citizens, public authorities, businesses as well as 
researchers)  and  will  be  integrated  in  a  number  of  data  spaces  as  referred  to  in  the  Commission 
communication on a European strategy for data4. 

83. The regulatory and standardisation activities undertaken so far focused on major market segments 
(smartphones,  road  applications,  aviation)  and  have  already  contributed  to  the  Galileo  and  EGNOS 

4  COM(2020) 66 final of 19.2.2020. 

 
 
                                                           
penetration in the market. The Commission undertook major efforts for the development of aviation 
standards for Galileo and EGNOS, which were adopted in 2020 at ICAO Navigation Systems Panel 
and EUROCAE. 

84. With regard to activities in the area of intelligent connectivity, the possible critical standards were 
analysed.  Currently,  the  Alliance  for  the  Internet  of  Things  Innovation  (AIOTI)  architecture  is  too 
high level and there are no requirements related directly to satellite navigation.  

With regard to the public administrations, in addition to the Farm Sustainability Tool (FaST) used in 
agriculture, a study was carried out to identify in the current clearing procedures involving containers 
and  shipments.  Follow  up  activities  were  initiated  to  introduce  Galileo  in  data  exchanges  in  the 
electronic  freight  transport  information  and  in  DATEX  II  (data  exchange  standard),  a  standardised 
electronic language to exchange road traffic and road-related travel related information. 

85. With regard to the EU legislation, the Commission underlines that the most important application 
fields of Copernicus were targeted and Copernicus successfully integrated in that legislation: land use, 
forestry and agricultural policy.  

In order to capitalise on the benefits of Copernicus in other areas, the Commission took the initiative 
to create the Knowledge Centre on Earth Observation (KCEO), which will enhance the further use of 
Copernicus data within the institutions. 

87. The Commission underlines that an analysis of regulatory barriers has been a basis for introducing 
Galileo and Copernicus in several pieces of legislation. 

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 

88. The Commission welcomes the conclusion of the ECA on the value of services and data provided 
by Galileo and Copernicus (and EGNOS). 

The progress of the service uptake for both Galileo and Copernicus was steady. The service uptake is 
in  particular  striking  in  case  of  Galileo  services.  Galileo  went  from  zero  users  in  2016  to  almost  2 
billion users with Galileo-enabled smartphones today. 

For  Copernicus,  the  number  of  users  has  equally  shown  good  progression.  According  to  annual 
statistics, there were more than 500,000 Copernicus registered users at the end of 2020. As many of 
these  are  institutional,  the  actual  outreach  to  end  users  is  several  times  higher.  The  new  Space 
Regulation will provide the legal framework to further enhance the societal and economic benefits of 
Galileo and Copernicus. 

89.  The  Commission  underlines that  the  2016  Space Strategy  was  conceived  as  a  cornerstone  for  a 
vision and direction of the EU’s space policy, not as an Action Plan for uptake of space services. The 
Space Strategy is not considered to be a framework against which the performance of the EGNSS and 
Copernicus  programmes  are  to  be  measured.  The  strategic  goals  of  the  Space  Strategy  were  flown 
down  into  specific  actions  in  the  individual  annual  work  programmes  of  Galileo/EGNOS  and 
Copernicus as well as into specific market development strategy of the European GNSS Agency. 

90.  The  new  Space  Regulation  foresees  a  pivotal  role  for  the  future  space  agency  (EUSPA)  in  this 
area,  for  both  navigation  and  earth  observation.  The  Commission  is  confident  that  this  will  help  to 
better streamline the overall strategy. 

91. The Commission agrees that further efforts are needed in order to fully explore the potential of the 
Copernicus data. Yet, the Commission underlines that a lot of progress has been achieved already, in 
particular within the Commission where many departments use Copernicus data and consider their use 
as part of their strategy. 

To enhance the further use of Copernicus data within EU institutions or bodies, the Commission plans 
to set up a Knowledge Centre on Earth Observation in 2021. 

92. The user uptake strategies varied from one Copernicus Entrusted Entity to another. Some of them, 
in particular those with tasks related to security and emergency have only few authorised users and 
user uptake is obviously limited to them. 

 
 
The  Commission  will  look  further  into  this  aspect,  in  particular  by  working  more  closely  with  the 
future Entrusted Entities. 

93. The Commission underlines that neither the Commission nor the European GNSS Agency has a 
competence  to  coordinate  national  space  strategies.  Also,  the  Member  States  have  no  obligation  to 
coordinate their own space strategies or measures with the Commission or with the European GNSS 
Agency.  

Recommendation 1 – Develop a comprehensive strategy for supporting the uptake of EU space 
services 

The Commission accepts recommendation 1 (a).  

The Commission underlines that it is its prerogative  – in line with its right of initiative  – to decide 
which form such a strategy shall take.  

The Commission accepts recommendation 1 (b). 

94. The Commission highlights that there is no recognised conceptual framework for the estimation of 
benefits in the domain of space.  

To address this, the Commission, in cooperation with the European GNSS Agency (GSA) considers 
that it developed a sound methodology for determining the socio-economic benefits from Galileo and 
EGNOS.  

This  methodology  is  now  used  in  the  bi-annual  Market  Report  published  by  the  European  GNSS 
Agency and these market reports have become the global reference point in this domain. 

The Commission acknowledges that some benefits are very difficult to estimate, for instance in topics 
such  as  Climate  Change  adaptation  aspects  or  Disasters  prevention  and  management,  with  a  very 
difficult quantification. 

95.  The  Commission  recognises  that  there  are  differences  in  methodology  between  the  Galileo  and 
Copernicus  programmes  for  calculating  their  benefits.  Yet  the  Commission  did  its  utmost  for  the 
estimation of these benefits, in the absence of a recognised conceptual framework. 

The  new  role  of  the  European  GNSS  Agency  (GSA,  future  EUSPA)  i.e.,  to  monitor  the  market  of 
both programmes, should lead to more consistent and coherent approach for the estimation of benefits 
for both space programme components. 

96. The new Space Regulation defines in its Annex a set of key indicators to report on progress of the 
programme. These key indicators are related to the achievement of the objectives of the regulation.  

The Commission would like to underline that the quantitative information from indicators should be 
analysed in conjunction with qualitative information. Also, the analysis of the quantitative indicators 
should  be  put  in  the  right  context.  Therefore,  indicators  are  only  one  element  to  monitor  the 
implementation. 

Recommendation 2 – Develop  a  conceptual  framework  for  estimating  the  benefits  of  the  EU 
space programmes and improve performance measurement 

The Commission accepts recommendation 2 (a).  

The Commission accepts recommendation 2 (b).  

The set of appropriate performance indicators are defined in the new Space Regulation. The reporting 
on these indicators is done annually through the programme statements in the draft budget proposal. 
These quantitative indicators need to be accompanied by qualitative information/analysis. 

99.  The  Commission  recalls  that  many  activities  have  been  put  in  place  to  support  user  uptake, 
previously  not  sufficiently  supported  in  the  beginning  of  the  programme:  relays,  academy, 
“hackathons”, info sessions, accelerators, incubators, etc. 

All these activities responded to specific needs and requests of support expressed by Member States. 
The Commission will continue its work to improve the coherence of all these activities. 

 
 
101. The Commission agrees that the synergies between various channels providing Copernicus data 
can be better exploited.  

Recommendation 3 – Ensure  full  readiness  of  Galileo  and  better  targeted  action  on  uptake  of 
the EU space services 

The Commission accepts recommendation 3 (a). 

The Commission accepts recommendation 3 (b).  

The Commission accepts recommendation 3 (c).  

103. A study was conducted by the JRC around 2018, which provided a new insight into the use of 
Copernicus data in EU legislation.  

The  newly  created  Knowledge  Centre  on  Earth  Observation  will  strengthen  the  links  between 
Copernicus and all policy areas of the Commission thus increasing the links between the different EU 
policies and the relevant legislation. 

Recommendation 4 – Better  use  the  regulatory  framework  to  support  the  uptake  of  EU  space 
services 

a) The Commission accepts recommendation 4 (a). 

The  Commission  underlines  that  it  undertook  an  important  step  forward  to  stimulate  the  uptake  of 
Copernicus  and  Galileo  data,  services  and  signals  by  making  their  use  mandatory  in  the  future 
Horizon Europe programme where Earth Observation and navigation play a role. It is the first time 
that this close link between research and space has been made. 

The Commission accepts recommendation 4 (b).   

The Commission accepts recommendation 4 (c). 

In relation to the ‘time schedules’ for development of standards, the Commission is dependent on the 
work and actions of European and international standardisation organisations or other external actors. 

 
 
 
 
 
REPLIES OF THE EUROPEAN GNSS AGENCY TO THE EUROPEAN COURT OF AUDITORS 
SPECIAL REPORT: “EU SPACE PROGRAMMES GALILEO AND COPERNICUS: SERVICES 
LAUNCHED, BUT THE UPTAKE NEEDS A FURTHER BOOST” 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Common reply to paragraphs V to X. 

The European GNSS agency (GSA) has significantly contributed to the uptake of Galileo by 
building  a  solid  knowledge  of  the  market  and  the  users,  by  designing  and  implementing 
uptake  roadmaps  with  user  communities  and  by  fostering  the  development  of  user 
technologies  and applications.  Galileo has  achieved  almost  two  billion  users  by  the  end  of 
2020. The GSA agrees that Galileo market and user uptake activities should continue to ensure 
that Galileo continues to be used, to complete the uptake in markets with slower cycles and 
for differentiators. The GSA will become EUSPA and will extend its role on Copernicus market 
development, fostering synergies with Galileo. 

The GSA acknowledges that there is not a common conceptual and statistical framework for 
estimating the benefits of space services in the EU. Therefore, GSA developed a methodology 
in the area of GNSS. The GSA recognises that such a methodology has shortcomings linked to 
the availability of statistical information at national level but considers it is still sound. The 
creation  of  EUSPA  will  foster  a  closer  methodological  alignment  of  the  market  monitoring 
activities and benefits estimation for all space programme components. 

OBSERVATION 29 

The  GSA  welcomes  the  ECA  observation  on  the  market  development  strategy  that  indeed 
contributed to the current significant uptake of Galileo. 

The GSA confirms the focus on Europe, according to its mandate, but would like to underline 
that many GSA activities were addressed with an international dimension. The GSA worked 
with stakeholders from around the world, such as chipset manufacturers, car makers, airlines, 
no matter if their location was in Europe or outside of Europe.   

OBSERVATION 37 

It  is  relevant  to  note  that  Member  States  have no  obligations to  coordinate  their national 
strategies with the GSA. 

OBSERVATION 44 

The  GSA  is  aware  that  there  is  not  a  common  conceptual  and  statistical  framework  for 
estimating the benefits of space services in the EU. Therefore, the GSA, in close cooperation 
with the European Commission, developed a methodology in the area of GNSS. 

 
 
 
OBSERVATION 47 

With respect to Galileo, following exchanges with ECA the approach to estimating Gross Value 
Added (GVA) has been updated and is now, in the opinion of the GSA, more in line with the 
conceptual framework to calculate the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the EU. Prior to the 
exchanges with ECA, the GSA developed a specific approach to calculate this type of benefits 
in  an  effort  to  overcome  the  issue  of  non-existence  of  national  category  for  downstream 
GNSS. 

OBSERVATION 48 

With  respect  to  Galileo,  the  GSA  monetised  the  societal  benefits  such  as  the  reduction  of 
emissions, the time drivers saved in traffic jams, thanks to navigation systems, or the number 
of lives saved, according to the European Commission rules on Impact Assessment and using 
always the most reliable source for the monetisation. As a result, despite some shortcomings, 
in  the  GSA’s  opinion,  the  benefits  estimation  is  still  sound,  exhaustive  and  produced 
estimations in line with the ones of similar GNSS systems. 

OBSERVATION 56 

The GSA highlights that receiver and equipment prioritise signals for navigation usually based 
on optimal geometry of satellites. 

CONCLUSION 90 

With  respect  to  Galileo,  the  GSA  adopted  a  market  development  strategy  as  described  in 
paragraph 29 of the ECA’s report. 

CONCLUSION 93 

Please see GSA reply to paragraph 37. 

CONCLUSION 94 

Please see GSA reply to paragraph 44. 

CONCLUSION 95 

Please see GSA reply to paragraph 48. 

 
 
 
 
 
Audit team 

The ECA’s special reports set out the results of its audits of EU policies and 
programmes, or of management-related topics from specific budgetary areas. The ECA 
selects and designs these audit tasks to be of maximum impact by considering the risks 
to performance or compliance, the level of income or spending involved, forthcoming 
developments and political and public interest. 

This performance audit was carried out by Audit Chamber IV Regulation of markets 
and competitive economy, headed by ECA Member Alex Brenninkmeijer. The audit 
was led by ECA Member Mihails Kozlovs, supported by Edite Dzalbe, Head of Private 
Office and Laura Graudina, Private Office Attaché; John Sweeney, Principal Manager; 
Sven Kölling, Head of Task; Agnieszka Plebanowicz, Maria-Isabel Quintela and 
Aleksandar Latinov, auditors. 

Mihails Kozlovs

Edite Dzalbe

Laura Graudina

John Sweeney

Sven Kölling

Agnieszka Plebanowicz

Maria Isabel
Quintela

Aleksandar Latinov

 
 
 
 
 
 
Timeline 

Event 

Date 

Adoption of Audit Planning Memorandum (APM) / Start of Audit 

22.10.2019 

Official sending of draft report to Commission (or other auditee) 

27.1.2021 

Adoption of the final report after the adversarial procedure 

Official replies of the Commission received in all languages 

23.3.2021 

16.4.2021 

Official replies of the European GNSS Agency received in all languages 

14.4.2021 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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ISBN 978-92-847-5923-1
ISBN 978-92-847-5895-1

ISSN 1977-5679
ISSN 1977-5679

doi: 10.2865/073967
doi: 10.2865/684718

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The global navigation satellite system Galileo and the Copernicus 
Earth observation programme are flagships of the EU space 
policy. They provide valuable services that enable more accurate 
navigation and timing and deliver valuable data about the Earth.  

There is, however, no comprehensive strategy yet for promoting 
the uptake of these services and no conceptual statistical 
framework to reliably assess the benefits of the programmes.  

We found shortcomings in the monitoring of uptake and noted 
that some key features of Galileo are not yet available. The 
objectives and the impact of several key actions supporting the 
uptake of the services provided by Galileo and Copernicus were 
not clear, and the Commission has only partly taken advantage of 
the potential to promote these services in EU legislation or 
standards.  

We make recommendations to remedy these issues.  

ECA special report pursuant to Article 287(4), second 
subparagraph, TFEU.