REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation of the EU Space Programme and on the performance of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme
Date: 2024-07-10
Institutions: Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space, European Commission
Subjects: EU office or agency, EU programme, European Space Agency, digital transformation, extra-atmospheric space, satellite communications, satellite navigation, space policy, space technology, use of outer space

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 10.7.2024  COM(2024) 289 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation of the EU Space Programme and   on the performance of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme  {SEC(2024) 202 final} - {SWD(2024) 173 final}  
 
 
1.  INTRODUCTION 

The EU Space Programme (the Programme) is critical for the strategic autonomy of the EU 
and its Member States and to support the EU’s political priorities, in particular the European 
Green  Deal,  the  Digital  Transition,  the  EU's  resilience,  and  the  EU  role  in  the  global 
dimension.  The  Programme  enables  solutions  to  tackle  global  challenges  such  as 
sustainability  and  climate  change,  safety  and  security,  natural  disasters  and  mobility  and 
strengthens the EU's role on the international scene as a global space power.  In addition, it 
effectively  provides  cutting-edge  data  and  services  for  areas  like  Artificial  intelligence, 
autonomous  vehicles  and  smart  solutions,  enhance  security  through  critical  infrastructure 
monitoring  and  provide  key  data  to  prevent,  prepare  for  and  respond  to  disasters.  The 
Programme  plays  a  crucial  role  in  addressing  cross-cutting  policy  topics  by  fostering 
innovation, resilience and competitiveness of EU companies. The EU has been developing its 
own  space  initiatives  and  programmes  since  the  1990s  and  is  one  of  the  world  leaders  in 
space.  However,  in  an  increasingly  uncertain  geopolitical  environment,  investing  in  space 
remains a priority, in order to develop EU capabilities, to keep providing state of the art data 
and  services,  and  to  preserve  Europe’s  leadership,  competitiveness,  sustainability  and 
strategic autonomy. 

The  Regulation  (EU)  2021/6961  (the  Regulation)  establishes  the  Programme  for  the  period 
2021-2027,  sets  its  objectives,  budget,  and  governance.  The  Regulation  also  sets  up  the 
European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) as an evolution of the European 
Global  Navigation  Satellite  Systems  Agency  (GSA),  with  a  substantially  extended  mandate 
on all components of the Programme. 

By  streamlining  the  governance  and  capitalising  on  synergies  and  horizontal  activities,  the 
Programme for the first time encompasses EU space activities in one single Regulation. It is 
composed  by  the  EU  space  flagship  initiatives,  for  navigation,  positioning  and  timing 
(Galileo, EGNOS2),  Earth observation  (Copernicus) and new initiatives  on  space situational 
awareness  (SSA)  and  governmental  satellite  communications  (GOVSATCOM).  It  also 
comprises  horizontal  activities  in  support  of  the  space  sector.  The  Regulation  defines  the 
governance  of  the  various  Programme’s  components  and  the  rules  for  the  implementation. 
Tasks  are  distributed  between  various  actors,  namely  the  European  Commission,  as  the 

1 Regulation (EU) 2021/696 Of the  European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 establishing the 
Union Space Programme and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme and repealing Regulations 
(EU) No 912/2010, (EU) No 1285/2013 and (EU) No 377/2014 and Decision No 541/2014/EU 

2 The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service. 

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overall  programme  manager,  Member  States,  EUSPA,  the  European  Space  Agency  (ESA) 
and other entities3 entrusted with tasks related to the implementation of the Programme. 

Article 102 of the Regulation mandates the Commission to evaluate the implementation of the 
Programme and to communicate the conclusions of the evaluation with its observations, to the 
European  Parliament,  the  Council, the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  and  the 
Committee  of  the  Regions.  At  the  same  time  the  Commission  is  mandated  to  assess  the 
performance of EUSPA and to submit a report on its evaluation to the European Parliament, 
the Council, the Administrative Board of EUSPA and its Security Accreditation Board (SAB).  

As  the  core  objective  of  the  Programme  is  to  provide  EU  space-based  data  and  services 
addressing  the  needs  of  the  users  and  supporting  EU  strategic  priorities,  the  evaluation 
assesses  the  performance  of  the  services  and  of  the  satisfaction  of  the  users.  Whilst  the 
implementation  of  the  Programme  is  constantly  monitored  during  the  year,  the  interim 
evaluation allows to analyse in a more holistic way the Programmes’ effectiveness, efficiency, 
coherence and EU added value. 

The evaluation is based on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) included in the Regulation, 
that structure the annual Programme Performance Statement. Given the differences among the 
Programme components, specific targets have been identified for each component as well as 
for  the  entrusted  entities  involved  in  its  implementation,  based  on  objectives  of  the 

3  The  European  Organisation  for  the  Exploitation  of  Meteorological  Satellites  (EUMETSAT),  the  European 
Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF), Mercator Ocean International,  the European Maritime 
Safety  Agency  (EMSA),  the  European  Border  and  Coast  Guard  Agency  (FRONTEX),  the  European 
Environment Agency (EEA), the European Union Satellite Centre (SATCEN). 

3 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
 
 
 
Programme and the contribution agreements concluded with ESA and other entrusted entities. 
The  Report  covers  the  period  from  2021  to  2023  and  is  accompanied  by  a  Staff  Working 
Documents (SWD) that details the evidence-based assessment on the effectiveness, efficiency, 
coherence, relevance, and EU added value of the Programme and by the study “Evaluation of 
the Performance of the Implementation of the EU Space Programme and of EUSPA”4.  

2.  THE EU SPACE PROGRAMME IN SUPPORT OF EU STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND 

USER NEEDS 

EU space data and services have become critical tools in support of the EU's political goals by 
promoting fair digital and green transitions and strengthening the EU's resilience. 

Climate change, the loss of biodiversity and the increasing pollution are amongst the largest 
challenges  humanity  is  facing  today.  They  can  be  overcome  through  Europe’s  green 
transition, underpinned by the European Green Deal. Space-based information delivered by 
Copernicus,  Galileo  and  EGNOS  provide  essential  tools  and  data  to  address  today’s 
environmental  challenges  and  directly  support  the  ambitious  EU  goals,  notably  to  monitor, 
mitigate and adapt to environmental impacts. For example, the EU Climate Law5 recognised 
the role of Copernicus data in assessing the EU’s path to climate neutrality and progress on 
adaptation.  Or  the  EU  Deforestation  Regulation6  indicates  that  Copernicus,  Galileo  and 
EGNOS  data  and  services  should  be  used  by  companies  to  provide  geolocation  coordinates 
and demonstrate to  competent authorities  that the products  placed on the EU market  do not 
come from deforested land. In addition, the Programme fosters the creation and development 
of  innovative  solutions  that  promote  environmental  monitoring,  sustainable  growth  and 
resource efficiency. 

The Programme also plays a vital role in the development of Europe’s Digital Single Market 
and acts as an accelerator of the EU’s fair digital transition across different economic sectors 
by  providing  advanced  technological  infrastructure  and  critical  data.  Galileo  standard  time 
serves as the reference for telecom networks, power grids and financial transactions, and its 
positioning  and  timing  services  are  essential  for  numerous  digital  applications  such  as 
telecommunications  and  autonomous  vehicles.  While  the  Destination  Earth  initiative, 
providing  a  high  precision  digital  model  of  Earth  (a  “Digital  Twin  of  the  Earth”),  plays  a 
significant role as well in the digital transition by leveraging advanced Earth observation data 
and digital technologies to address global challenges. 

4 Mid-Term Evaluation of the Performance of the Implementation of the EU Space Programme and of EUSPA 
5   Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 2021 establishing the 
framework  for  achieving  climate  neutrality  and  amending  Regulations  (EC)  No  401/2009  and  (EU) 
2018/1999 (‘European Climate Law’) 

6  Regulation  (EU)  2023/1115  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  31  May  2023  on  the  making 
available  on  the  Union  market  and  the  export  from  the  Union  of  certain  commodities  and products  associated 
with  deforestation  and  forest  degradation  and  repealing  Regulation  (EU)  No  995/2010  (Text  with  EEA 
relevance) 

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In the current geopolitical context, when space is more and more a contested domain, there is 
a  need  to  build  a  stronger  and  more  resilient  EU.  The  Programme  plays  a  key  role  in 
support  of  this  goal.  It  enhances  EU's  strategic  autonomy  by  curbing  dependencies  on  non-
European  space  systems,  ensuring  self-reliance  and  positioning  the  EU  as  a  trustworthy 
partner in  the international  arena. At the same time, EU space  components  provide services 
either  used  in  the  security  domain  or  to  protect  critical  infrastructures  of  the  EU  and  its 
Member  States  as  recalled  in  the  Council  Recommendation  on  the  resilience  of  critical 
infrastructures7. The establishment of a dedicated EU GOVSATCOM component constituted 
an  important  step  towards  resilience  by  providing  secure  and  cost-efficient  communication 
capabilities to critical missions and operations managed by the EU and its Member States. In 
addition, through the provision of EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) services that 
are part of SSA component, space assets are protected from collisions, enabling the continuity 
of  services  for  communication,  navigation,  or  disaster  management.  At  the  same  time, 
citizens,  air  traffic,  and  ground  infrastructures  are  also  protected  by  SST  services  from 
atmospheric re-entries of space objects. 

The Programme has played a crucial role in  enhancing the EU competitiveness and in the 
development of a robust EU space ecosystem. By reducing reliance on non-European space 
programmes  and  improving  the  EU's  ability  to  operate  autonomously  in  space-related 
activities, the Programme has granted the EU strategic independence in space. Additionally, 
also  with  the  support  of  Horizon  2020  and  Horizon  Europe,  the  Programme  has  been 
instrumental in driving innovation and technological progress within the EU, resulting in the 
creation of novel products, processes, and business models, as well as the delivery of value-
added  services.  This  has  not  only  strengthened  the  EU's  technological  capabilities  but  shas 
also positioned European companies as leaders in the global space industry.  

The Programme has created new markets and opportunities for a wide range of enterprises, in 
particular  small  and  medium  enterprises  (SMEs),  supporting  their  development  through  the 
entire value chain of space industry, enabling them to engage in satellite manufacturing, space 
technology development, and data analysis for various applications8. The EU space ecosystem 
is  also  a key  part of the  European industrial strategy9 by fostering innovation, promoting 
competitiveness,  and  creating  opportunities  for  European  companies  to  participate  in  the 
global space market. 

The Cassini initiative10 supports entrepreneurship in  space-related businesses across the EU 
via  different  types  of  actions.  The  initiative  is  open  to  all  areas  of  the  Programme  and  is 

7  Council  Recommendation  of  8  December  2022  on  a  Union-wide  coordinated  approach  to  strengthen  the 

resilience of critical infrastructure (2023/C 20/01) 

8 EUSPA`s EO and GNSS Market report (issue 2) 
9 European industrial strategy - European Commission (europa.eu)  

10 Space Entrepreneurship Initiative - CASSINI - European Commission (europa.eu) 

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tailored  to  meet  the  needs  of  companies  covering  both  upstream  (i.e.,  nanosats,  launchers, 
etc.) and downstream (i.e., products/services enabled by space data, etc.). CASSINI includes a 
€1 billion EU seeds and growth fund, hackathons and mentoring, prizes, business accelerator, 
partnering  and  matchmaking.  By  combining  the  synergies  and  coherence  between  different 
EU programmes including Invest EU, CASSINI has supported over 700 SMEs by the end of 
Q2 2023, with almost 40 of them securing a total of EUR 300 million in venture investments. 

The In Orbit Demonstration/In Orbit Validation (IOD/IOV)11 allows academia, research 
organisations,  start-ups,  SMEs  and  larger  industrial  companies  to  effectively  test  new 
technologies  in  space,  reducing  the  time  to  market  in  full  synergy  with  Research  and 
Innovation funding programmes. 

3.  MAIN  FINDINGS  CONCERNING  THE  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  EU 

SPACE PROGRAMME 

3.1 The performance of the Programme's components and evolution of user needs 

The  evaluation  has  confirmed  that  over  the  evaluation  period,  the  performance  of  the 
Programme  and  the  components  are  aligned  with  its  objectives,  effectively  meeting  users’ 
needs. 

Galileo and EGNOS 

Galileo  has  successfully  met  its  key  objectives  by  providing  worldwide  long-term,  state-of-
the-art,  and  secure  positioning,  navigation,  and  timing  services  with  minimal  service 
disruptions, meeting the evolving and growing needs of Europe and its citizens. Most targets 
were  achieved  and  partially  overachieved.  Galileo  is  today  the  most  precise  satellite 
navigation system in the world. The accuracy of its navigation and timing services has already 
surpassed  initial  commitments  (average  three  times  better  than  2027  target),  and  the  focus 
now  is  on  maintaining  this  high  level  of  performance  consistently.  Furthermore,  the  overall 
availability  of  Galileo  services  is  close  to  meeting  the  final  target  value  (availability  of  the 
Galileo  services  always  above  99%),  and  efforts  are  being  made  to  ensure  this  availability 
remains stable. 

Since the declaration of Galileo services in December 2016, significant milestones have been 
achieved, including the introduction of the Open Service (OS) and Search and Rescue Service 
(SAR),  as  well  as  the  development  and  delivery  of  new  unique  services  such  as  the  High 
Accuracy  Service  (HAS),  which  is  already  providing  highly  accurate  global  positioning. 
Additionally, plans are in place to declare other new services in the near future, like Galileo’s 
Open  Service  Navigation  Message  Authentication  (OSNMA)  and  Emergency  Warning 
Satellite  Service  (EWSS).  The  implementation  of  the  Public  Regulated  Service  (PRS)  is 

11 In-Orbit Demonstration and Validation (IOD/IOV) - European Commission (europa.eu)  

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progressing according to the established schedule, expected to be completed by 2024. Further 
efforts are required to ensure its successful roll-out and full functionality. A risk management 
task  force  has  been  set  up  by  the  Commission  in  collaboration  with  EUSPA,  ESA,  and 
industrial actors to monitor progress and oversee the workplan execution. 

Overview of Galileo services 

Galileo  Open  Service  (OS):  Provides  ranging,  positioning,  and  timing  information  to  3  billion+  Galileo-
enabled  devices.  New  and  improved  features of  the  Galileo  Open  Service  ‘Signal  in  Space’  completed  in 
2023 with an update of the service commitments in November 2023. 

Galileo Public Regulated Service (PRS): Galileo navigation service offering to authorised governmental users 
uninterrupted  worldwide  positioning,  velocity  and  Timing  (PVT),  solution  even  in  the  most  serious  crisis 
situations. 

Galileo high accuracy service (HAS): Provides high accuracy corrections for Galileo and GPS. Initial Services 
in January 2023 with excellent performance since then. 

Galileo  Search  and  Rescue  (SAR)  Service:  Detects  and  locates  people  in  distress  and  communicates  their 
position to Rescue Coordination Centres worldwide. 

Galileo  experienced  a  few  hurdles  during  the  evaluation  period  related  to  external  factors, 
notably the  non-availability of two launch services  (initially scheduled in  2022)  with  Soyuz 
launchers  further  to  the  Russian  invasion  of  Ukraine  that  had  an  impact  on  the  smooth 
implementation  of  certain  activities  within  this  component.  Furthermore,  a  combination  of 
external factors including geopolitical tensions, inflation, and chip shortages, led to delays in 
fulfilling  order  commitments  by  the  industry,  preventing  the  declaration  of  FOC12  of  the 
Galileo  OS.  Since  the  services  can  be  provided  without  the  complete  constellation,  the 
provision of services remains unaffected. However, as some satellites are reaching their end 
of  life,  potential  risks  to  the  performance  are  increasing.  In  response,  the  Commission  has 
taken  the  necessary  mitigation  measures,  i.e.,  deployment  of  four  Galileo  satellites  with  an 
alternative launch service provider, to ensure the continuity of services and performance. 

The implementation of the EGNOS component progressed well. By improving the accuracy 
to  around  1 metre,  surpassing  the  2027  target,  and  enhancing  the  reliability  of  the  Global 
Navigation  Satellite  System  (GNSS)  signal  over  Europe,  EGNOS  provides  safety-critical 
applications  for  users in Europe,  such as  aircraft’s  operations  and landing. But  even though 
the performance of its service in terms of coverage is gradually improving, notably in the core 
domain  of  aviation,  the  objective  of  ensuring  EGNOS  service  over  all  EU  Member  State 
territories in Europe, was delayed. This was due, to space weather’s effects degrading service 

12  Galileo  FOC  phase  refers  to  the  complete  constellation  of  27  operational  satellites  and  three  reserves,  all 
stationed on three circular Medium Earth Orbits (MEOs) at an altitude of 23 222 km and with an inclination 
of 56o to the equator. 

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performances, the closure of two sites outside the EU for sovereignty reasons and the delays 
in the development of EGNOS third generation (EGNOS V3). The Commission put in place 
the  necessary  mitigation  measures  to  ensure  full  coverage  of  the  Union  territory  as  soon  as 
possible. 

Open Service (OS) 

Safety of Life Service (SoL) 

Data Access Service (EDAS) 

Improving  GNSS  accuracy, 
mainly 
high-volume 
for 
navigation  applications 
consumers 

intended 
satellite 
for  use  by 

Providing a high level of integrity for users 
for whom safety is essential: 

-  Civil Aviation (ICAO standards) 
-  Maritime  (IMO  &  IEC  standards) 

from March 2024 

Offering  EGNOS  data  with  greater  added 
value  through  internet,  intended  mainly 
for professional or commercial use 

The  evaluation  focused  also  on  how  much  Galileo  and  EGNOS  meet  the  user  needs  and 
requirements. The number of Galileo users is growing with more than 3.9 billion devices in 
use  by  2023  and  with  a  high  user  satisfaction  across  all  services,  reaching  82.35%  of  users 
satisfied  with  the  Galileo  performance.  Galileo  includes  users  in  agriculture,  aviation  and 
drones, consumer solutions, emergency management, fisheries, forestry, maritime, rail, public 
transport, automotive sectors and others. In case of EGNOS, the aviation sector is one of the 
main users, with more than 900 approaches (covering more than 65% of instrument runways), 
and  above  27%  of  the  airplane  fleet  equipped  with  EGNOS  by  end  of  2023.  Agriculture  is 
another  mature  EGNOS  user’s  sector  for  guidance  applications  for  basic-value  crop 
cultivation (e.g., cereals), with almost all GNSS devices in agriculture EGNOS enabled. 

EUSPA  and  the  Commission  created  and  run  the  User  Consultation  Platform  in  order  to 
better address and review user needs for GNSS applications across all sectors of the economy. 
According to the evaluation, the current system  addresses most of existing needs.  However, 
some of them – such as emerging safety critical use cases in transport - cannot be met by the 
current  generation  of  Galileo  or  EGNOS.  Therefore,  it  is  important  to  deliver  and  deploy 
Galileo  Second  Generation  and  EGNOS  V3  as  soon  as  possible.  In  the  area  of  rail  and 
maritime,  stakeholders  expressed  their  strong  interest  for  a  dedicated  EGNOS  service.  The 
Commission together with EUSPA are addressing these demands.  

Copernicus 

The  objectives  of  Copernicus  component  are  to  provide  precise  Earth  observation  data, 
information,  and  services  by  integrating  various  data  sources  on  a  sustainable  basis  and 

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support  the  development,  implementation,  and  monitoring  of  policies  and  actions  of  the 
Union and its Member States, in accordance with user requirements. All indicators prove that 
the  performance  of  Copernicus  services  (i.e.,  land,  marine,  atmosphere,  climate  change, 
emergency,  and  security)  in  terms  of  reliability,  availability  and  continuity  are  on  average 
above  94.5%  target.  Targets  were  also  exceeded  for  volume  of  data  generated  from  the 
Sentinels.  These  data  have  been  provided  on  a  full,  free,  and  open  basis  supporting  a  wide 
range  of  applications,  from  environmental  monitoring  and  disaster  management  to  climate 
change adaptation and sustainable urban planning.  

While the performance of the Copernicus component is well above expectations, delays were 
observed in the launch of Sentinel 1C13 due to the unavailability of European launchers. There 
was  also  a  lack  of  radar  data  due  to  the  unavailability  of  the  Sentinel-1B  satellite,  but 
mitigation measures were put in place, notably by adjusting the observation plan for Sentinel-
1A,  and  through  reinforcement  of  the  contributing  missions.  The  data  loss  was  also 
compensated by the provision of data secured by other sources14. 

As to the users and the evolution of their needs, the number of users of data, products, or 
services  within  Copernicus  is  growing  with  their  satisfaction  exceeding  85%  across  all 
services. Thanks to its ability to address diverse and evolving user needs, Copernicus proved 
to be successful in attracting an increasing number and wide range of users. The number of 

13 Copernicus for Earth Observation data and services are provided by a set of dedicated satellites (the Sentinel 
families), on the contrary of Galileo, for Copernicus each Sentinel provides a different service. 

14  Copernicus  International  Cooperation  Agreement  with  Canada  providing  for  the  sharing  of  each  other’s 
satellite Earth Observation data on the basis of reciprocity. 

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registered users doubled from 2020 to 2022 (from 385 000 to 638 000 users in 2022), with the 
amount of Sentinel data generated being 6 800 Terabyte in 2022. The use of a new Dynamic 
Purchasing  System  increases  the  agility  of  the  contribution  missions'  scheme  and  reduces 
possible  barriers  for  new  European  market  entrants,  in  particular  new  space  and  emerging 
companies.  A  wide  range  of  tools  and  platforms  makes  it  easy  for  users  to  access,  analyse, 
and  visualize  the  information  available  through  the  Programme.  The  Copernicus  User 
Forum  provides  inputs  to  the  Commission  regarding  the  definition  and  validation  of  user 
requirements,  in  particular  for  public  sector  (Copernicus  core  users),  while  the  User 
Consultation  Platform  fosters  synergies  between  Galileo/EGNOS  and  Copernicus,  for 
example  in  agriculture,  forestry  and  urban  planning.  In  addition,  the  coherence  between 
different  Copernicus  services  and  their  uptake  is  ensured  notably  by  four  Copernicus 
Thematic Hubs (Coastal, Health, Energy and Arctic) and the Knowledge Centre on Earth 
Observation  that  combine  information  and  products  for  specific  thematic  areas,  aiming  to 
facilitate access and promote collaboration.  

Space Situational Awareness (SSA) 

The SSA component is composed of three subcomponents: SST, Space Weather (SWE) and 
Near-Earth Objects (NEO). SST is the most advanced part, being an evolution of an existing 
service (2014 Framework for Space Surveillance and Tracking  Support15). As of July  2022, 
the network comprises 40 sensors of Member States (incl. radars, telescopes and laser ranging 
stations)  and  its  services  are  performing  very  well.  The  community  of  users  continues  to 
grow, namely with satellite operators from non-EU countries, as foreseen by the Regulation. 
At the end of 2023, approximately 200 organisations are registered to the SST services, with 
more  than  400  satellites  registered  to  the  collision  avoidance  service.  The  EU  SST 
Partnership Agreement, in force since November 2022, has expanded from 7 to current 15 
EU Member States,  enhancing  the capabilities of the SST system  to  survey and track space 
objects orbiting the Earth. 

SWE and NEO were newly introduced in the Regulation  and  are  not  yet  operational, since 
the implementation process is still ongoing. They cannot thus be evaluated. Nevertheless, the 
implementation  of  the  SWE  sub-component  progresses  as  planned  by  defining  service 
priorities and compiling a first version of a map of Member States’ capabilities for detecting 
and monitoring NEOs with a full list of institutions and assets. 

15  Decision  No  541/2014/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  16  April  2014  establishing  a 
Framework for Space Surveillance and Tracking Support 

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Governmental Satellites Communications (GOVSATCOM) 

Preparatory  activities  for  service  provision  have  been  implemented  effectively.  Operational 
activities  focused  on  the  procurement  of  the  GOVSATCOM  hub  and  on  the  call  for 
expression of interest relating to the sites which will host the hub. EUSPA, together with the 
Commission,  managed  to  mitigate  some  delays  and  the  activities  are  currently  running 
smoothly. The innovation partnership contract has been awarded for the GOVSATCOM Hub 
in December 2023 while the evaluation of the proposals relating to the localisation of the sites 
is  on-going.  During  the  evaluation  period,  the  Commission  also  established  the  legal 
framework for the implementation of the component.  

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Regarding  the  users’  needs,  a  network  of  user  representatives  was  created  to  collect  and 
aggregate  user  requirements  (ENTRUSTED16  project).  Building  on  GOVSATCOM,  on  15 
February 2022, the Commission presented a proposal for a Regulation establishing the Union 
secure  connectivity  programme  for  2023-2027  IRIS2,  that  was  adopted  on  15  March 
202317. 

3.2 Implementation of tasks by the entrusted entities 

The  vast  majority  of  the  entrusted  tasks  entrusted  to  various  entities  as  defined  by  the 
Regulation, have been effectively implemented over the evaluation period.  

For Galileo and EGNOS, EUSPA has effectively performed its tasks and achieved most of its 
objectives.  However,  certain  future  features  and  services  as  well  as  the  declaration  of  FOC 
suffered  delays  as  explained  above.  Nevertheless,  mitigation  measures  have  been 
implemented to address these challenges. 

For  Copernicus  the  implementation  activities  are  fully  aligned  with  the  Contribution 
Agreements  with  ESA  and  other  entrusted  entities  ensuring  a  timely  and  on  budget 
implementation. 

In  the  case  of  SSA,  the  assessment  of  SST-related  tasks  was  not  feasible  as  the  SST  Front 
Desk was transferred to EUSPA in July 2023 following the establishment of the new EU SST 
Partnership.  The  continuity  of  the  SST  service  was  ensured  by  SATCEN,  which  worked 
together with EUSPA to ensure a smooth transition. For the SWE sub-component, delays in 
the  ESA-run  procurement  were  effectively  mitigated  and  no  negative  consequences  are 
expected,  while  the  tasks  entrusted  to  ESA  related  to  the  NEO  sub-component  are  running 
smoothly.  

Regarding GOVSATCOM, tasks have been entrusted to EUSPA and ESA. Both entities have 
performed  their  activities  in  line  with  the  contribution  agreements  concluded  between  the 
Commission and those entities.  

3.3 Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Programme 

Despite a challenging environment and the difficulty in the analysis, due also to the fact that 
each component has a different timeframe, maturity, users and output, the benefits brought at 
European  and  global  level  by  the  Programme  outweigh  the  costs  that  were  directly  and 
indirectly  sustained  for  the  development  of  its  components.  Since  Galileo,  EGNOS  and 
Copernicus were launched before the current Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), it was 
not always possible to perform a cost benefit assessment or measure the impact for the period 
2021- 2023, as it would not be an accurate comparison between costs and benefits. Whereas 

16 “ENTRUSTRED” Project 
17 Regulation (EU) 2023/588 Establishing the Union Secure Connectivity Programme for the Period 2023-2027 

12 

 
 
 
costs  are  instantaneous,  the  benefits  from  the  exploitation  of  EU  space  components  are  the 
consequence of the investment to develop the infrastructures, including the investments made 
before  the  programmes  became  completely  operational,  as  in  the  case  of  SSA  and 
GOVSATCOM. 

The  Programme  offers  a  wide  range  of  benefits,  encompassing  environmental  monitoring, 
technological  innovation,  economic  growth,  jobs  creation  and  societal  improvements  in 
Europe. The availability of precise navigation and Earth observation data supports innovation 
and  creates  new  economic  opportunities  that  support  the  growth  of  a  deep-tech  ecosystem, 
which  contributes  significantly  to  the  EU's  economic  prosperity.  By  driving  technological 
innovation,  fostering  entrepreneurship,  and  supporting  the  growth  of  the  space  industry,  the 
Programme  creates  high-tech  jobs  and  stimulates  economic  development  across  various 
sectors. 

Galileo  and  EGNOS  offer  substantial  economic  benefits  through  enhanced  navigation, 
positioning, and timing services. As GNSS is a public good, it is difficult to attribute benefits 
to  one  of  the  main  GNSS  constellations  (GPS  vs  Galileo  vs  Beidou  vs  Glonass).  Two 
scenarios have been used in the evaluation to  calculate the benefits of Galileo and EGNOS, 
with one scenario attributing 100% of the benefit to Galileo and the other attributing 25% of 
the benefit to Galileo and dividing the rest among the other GNSS constellations. The analysis 
showed  that  the  economic  benefits  of  Galileo  and  EGNOS  outweigh  the  costs  in  both 
scenarios.  Even  when  assuming  benefits  are  split  equally  between  the  four  GNSS 
constellations,  they  are  still  far  exceeding  the  costs  due  to  the  wide-ranging  use  cases  of 
GNSS and its crucial role in the global economy.  

The cost-benefit  analysis  has  concluded that  societal, environmental,  and  economic benefits 
provided  by  Copernicus  outweigh  its  costs  by  3.7  times,  despite  the  fact  that  data  and 
services  are  open  and  freely  available.  Not  only  Copernicus  provides  data  used  in  several 
industrial  ecosystems,  but  it  also  stimulates  the  development  of  new  products,  processes, 
business models and added value services, such as in saved lives, better quality of life for EU 
citizens  and  reduced  losses  from  an  economic  point  of  view  by  supporting  European 
industries. Furthermore, it has contributed significantly to the non-dependence of the EU on 
other countries for critical geospatial data. 

The cost-benefit assessment of the SSA component can only be estimated since the service is  
not yet fully operational. The evaluation shows that the expected investments will create large 
benefits  for  the  economy  and  the  society,  in  particular  due  to  the  reduction  in  collisions 
between  spacecrafts  and  space  debris,  and  in  unnecessary  collision  avoidance  manoeuvres. 
Accumulated  costs  for  SSA  between  2014  and  2027  are  estimated  at  EUR  260,5  million, 
while accumulated benefits amount to EUR 1542,84 million.  

As GOVSATCOM will be operational in 2024, its expected benefits could not be quantified 
and  forecasted  yet,  but  they  had  been  analyzed  in  the  impact  assessment  accompanying  the 

13 

 
 
Regulation18.  GOVSATCOM,  allowing  for  a  quicker  and  better  controlled  response  to 
emergencies  will  be  vital  for  European  society.  GOVSATCOM  will  provide  guaranteed 
access,  including  to  Member  States  that  do  not  benefit  from  their  own  satcom  systems,  the 
Union’s  autonomy,  and  significant  overall  benefits  for  citizens  by  providing  better  crisis 
management  and  emergency  services.  It  is  also  expected  to  provide  more  cost-effective 
services as a consequence of the built-in competition between different capacity providers. 

4.  MAIN FINDINGS CONCERNING EUSPA 

Since  its  creation  in  2002,  the  Agency  has  undergone  significant  changes  from  the  Galileo 
Joint Undertaking to the GSA and subsequently with its evolution to EUSPA. The Regulation 
has expanded the scope of tasks of EUSPA from dealing mostly with satellite navigation to all 
components of the Programme. 

Over the evaluation period, EUSPA has overall performed well and successfully achieved its 
objectives  in  the  areas  of  exploitation,  security  and  market  uptake.  This  has  been 
accomplished  through  an  effective  implementation  of  its  core  and  entrusted  tasks  defined 
under the Financial Framework Contribution Agreement (FFPA), in the Commission-EUSPA 
Contribution  Agreement  and  in  the  EUSPA-ESA  Contribution  Agreement  signed  in  June 
2021.  On  the  management,  the  Agency  adopted  a  new  organizational  structure  in  October 
2021 strengthening technical horizontal functions and securing the growth in overall staffing. 

The  large  majority  of  the  targets  and  objectives  of  EUSPA  core  tasks  –  Security 
accreditation, Operational security for EGNSS, Operation of the Galileo Security Monitoring 
Centre,  PRS  Activities,  communication,  promotion  and  market  development  and  Agency 
management - have been reached with minor exceptions, mostly due to external factors (e.g., 
chip  shortage  impacted  slightly the growth  of EGNOS  receivers’  models in Agriculture and 
Forestry). 

While  previously  the  user  and  market  uptake  activities  entrusted  to  the  Galileo 
Supervisory Authority, the predecessor of EUSPA, were focused to Galileo and EGNOS, 
the  Regulation  expands  EUSPA’s  activities  to  Copernicus  and  GOVSATCOM  components 
ensuring  synergies  and  addressing  a  larger  audience  of  users.  All  activities  entrusted  to 
EUSPA concerning user uptake and market development were performed on budget and to a 
very large extend on time. The EUSPA Market Report provides a comprehensive overview of 
data dynamics, global Earth Observation & GNSS downstream markets, covering 15 market 
segments, including agriculture & forestry, climate & environment, rail, public transport and 

18  SWD/2018/327  final  of  6  June  2018  –  Impact  Assessment  accompanying  the  document:  Proposal  for  a  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 Regulation (EU) No 912/2010, (EU) No 
1285/2013, (EU), No 377/2014 and Decision 541/2014/EU 

14 

 
 
 
Road  &  automotive.  EUSPA  also  published  the  Secure  SATCOM  Market  and  User 
Technology report in 2023 in preparation of GOVSATCOM and IRIS2 market uptake. 

The  Regulation  has  extended  the  scope  of  responsibilities  of  the  Security  Accreditation 
Board (SAB) to all space components. The SAB is an independent body within EUSPA that 
oversees  security  accreditation  activities  for  all  the  components  of  the  Programme.  The 
evaluation  has  demonstrated  that  SAB  performs  overall  well  and  there  is  a  constant 
monitoring to ensure its independence.  

5.  CONCLUSIONS 

The  Programme  with  its  budget  of  nearly  EUR  15  billion  offers  a  multitude  of  benefits, 
ranging  from  environmental  monitoring  and  climate  protection  to  economic  growth, 
innovation,  and  security.  These  benefits  underscore  the  significance  of  space  activities  in 
addressing global challenges and ensuring close alignment with EU priorities. 

The  evidence  presented  in  the  evaluation  demonstrated  that  the  implementation  of  the 
Programme  delivers  well  on  its  objectives,  the  components  are  performing  as  planned, 
providing state of the art services that address evolving user needs. 

As  further  elaborated  in  accompanying  SWD,  the  Programme  has  successfully  met  all  the 
Better Regulation criteria, demonstrating effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance, and 
EU added value. It has effectively attracted and retained a growing number of users, catering 
to  diverse  and  changing  requirements  across  various  applications  and  sectors.  The  tasks 
implemented  by  the  entrusted  entities  have  been  aligned  well  with  their  contribution 
agreements and within allocated budgets, generating benefits that far exceeded the associated 
costs.  The  evaluation  also  demonstrated  the  unquestionable  relevance  and  coherence  of  the 
Programme,  as  it  has  significantly  contributed  to  the  EU's  green  and  digital  transitions, 
resilience of the Single Market, tackling global challenges, and strengthening the EU's role as 
a  global  space  power.  The  Programme's  EU  added  value  is  evident  through  the  pooling  of 
limited  national  resources  for  the  benefit  of  the  EU  and  the  27  Member  States,  with  freely 
available data and services contributing to the EU economy, industries, and citizens.  

While  the  implementation  of  the  Programme  has  been  smooth  and  delivering  on  its 
objectives, some challenges remain. The temporary lack of a European launcher solution, 
which limits the EU’s autonomous access to space is a major factor of delay and threatening 
EU  autonomy.  Luckily,  the  infrastructure  has  been  designed  to  be  robust  enough  to  bear 
delays, but not in the long term. The Regulation includes provision for an autonomous access 
to space that need to be further exploited.  

Further improvements should be made to prevent unnecessary delays and additional costs in 
the deployment of the infrastructure and its modernisation. These setbacks are mainly due to 
unforeseen external  factors such  as inflation or shortages in  the supply chain,  which disrupt 

15 

 
 
 
the  ability  of  industry  to  adhere  to  its  planned  schedule.  Additionally,  the  complex  and 
lengthy procurement processes, which are often overly rigid and detailed, contribute to these 
challenges. The Commission is already developing new instruments to make the procurement 
more agile, quick and open to new actors, as the Dynamic Purchasing System for Copernicus 
contributing missions. 

The number of users is increasing, but more effort can be done for the market and user uptake 
of  EU  space-based  data,  services  and  application,  in  particular  combining  data  and  cross-
fertilisation  between  the  components  of  the  Programme  to  develop  cross-cutting  and  multi-
disciplinary services for non-space sectors. The publication by EUSPA of one single market 
report for GNSS and Earth Observation as well as the inclusion of Earth Observation and SST 
users  in  the  User  Consultation  Platform  run  by  EUSPA  will  boost  synergies  and  cross 
fertilisation across the components.  

Concerning  EUSPA,  it  has  managed  to  successfully  evolve  from  the  former  GSA  and  to 
embark on its new tasks. The overall performance of the Agency is good, and it is reaching all 
its  targets,  providing  unique  value  in  several  key  areas.  It  positions  itself  as  a  user-oriented 
operational  EU  Agency,  focusing  on  maximizing  the  Programme's  benefits  for  users  and 
adding  value  for  innovative  service  providers.  Additionally,  it  serves  as  a  center  for 
exploitation,  security,  and  market-uptake  activities,  providing  high-quality  and  robust 
services.  EUSPA  also  manages  a  significant  volume  of  EU  funds  for  space  activities, 
including a delegated budget of approximately EUR 9 billion for the current MFF.  However, 
additional  efforts  could  be  made  to  further  decrease  the  time  to  grant  and  to  enhance 
transparency in planning of tenders. Additionally, improvements could be made with the SAB 
by early integration of programmatic aspects in its decision making.  

Finally,  there  are  policy  developments  at  EU  level  which  will  influence  the  EU  Space 
Programme in the short term but also in the longer term: 

•  The  recent  intensification  of  threats  and  increasing  congestion  led  the  EU  to  take 
further  actions  to  protect  its  space  assets,  defend  its  interests  and  deter  hostile 
activities in space. A first milestone has been achieved in February 2022 when the EU 
approach  to  Space  Traffic  Management19  was  published  and  which  makes  it 
necessary to further foster the SSA component of the EU Space Programme.  
In March 2023 the first  ever  EU Strategy for Security and Defence20  was adopted 
where space  was recognised as a strategic domain whose potential should be further 
unlocked in support of security and defence. Galileo's Public Regulated Service (PRS) 
has  already  demonstrated  the  ability  of  a  civilian  infrastructure  to  propose  military 

• 

19 JOIN/2022/4 final of 15 February 2022 on An EU Approach for Space Traffic Management 

20 JOIN/2023/9 final of 10 March 2023 on European Union Space Strategy for Security and Defence 

16 

 
 
 
applications  and  for  IRIS²  a  ‘dual  use  by  design'  approach  has  been  followed, 
considering  its  potential  for  defence  from  the  outset.  The  Strategy  also  calls  the 
Commission to assess the possibility of a future EU Earth-Observation governmental 
service  that  would  strengthen  the  situational  awareness  of  the  EU  and  of  Member 
States. The resilience of the EU space ecosystem is key for the implementation of the 
Programme.  In  the  context  of  the  European  Economic  Security  Strategy  21,  the 
Commission  included  space  and  propulsion  technologies  in  the  list  of  ten  critical 
technology  areas  for  the  EU’s  economic  security.  In  addition,  the  Commission  has 
developed  the  Observatory  for  Critical  Technologies22  as  a  tool  for  EU  industrial 
strategic  autonomy  which  identifies,  regularly  monitors,  and  analyses  of  critical 
technologies related to space and defence, and their potential applications. This work 
will impact definition of the participation conditions for procurements made under the 
EU Space Programme. 

To  conclude,  the  evaluation  of  the  Programme  shows  that  it  has  successfully  met  its 
objectives, addressing both internal and external challenges and contributing significantly to 
the  Union’s  strategic  priorities,  in  particular  to  the  fair  green  and  digital  transitions,  EU’s 
sustainable competitiveness and resilience. The Programme has also effectively attracted and 
retained  a growing  number of users and expanded access  to  new players. Also, the EUSPA 
has effectively carried out all its core and entrusted tasks and strengthened its  competencies 
and capabilities. 

21 JOIN/2023/20 final of 20 June 2023 on European Economic Security Strategy 

22  COM/2021/70  final  of  22  February  2021  on  Action  Plan  on  synergies  between  civil,  defence  and  space 
industries 

17