The Draft EU Space Act – What’s at Stake? Insights from Amsterdam Space Symposium

The closing panel of the Amsterdam Space Symposium discussed the draft EU Space Act, a legislative proposal presented by the European Commission in June 2025. The proposal aims to establish a common regulatory framework for space activities in the European Union.

The panel included Tanja Masson-Zwaan (International Institute of Air and Space Law, Leiden University), Rodolphe Muñoz (European Commission), Alex van Nieuwland (Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs), Dimitra Stefoudi (Netherlands Space Agency), Petra Vorwig (New Skies Satellites), and Neta Palkovitz (Dawn Aerospace).

The EU Space Act proposal

The draft EU Space Act is designed to create a more harmonised framework for space activities across EU Member States. According to the European Commission, the proposal focuses on three main areas:

• Safety, including measures related to space debris mitigation and collision avoidance
• Resilience, including cybersecurity and protection of space infrastructure
• Sustainability, including environmental assessment of space activities and support for technologies such as in-orbit servicing and debris removal

The proposed regulation would apply to EU operators and also to non-EU operators providing space services or data in the EU market.

The initiative addresses the current situation where space activities are governed by different national legal frameworks across Member States, which the Commission considers a source of regulatory fragmentation.

Regulatory structure and scope

During the discussion, several points related to the structure and scope of the proposal were raised.

One issue concerns the breadth of the regulation’s scope, particularly how it might apply to operators and partners outside the European Union. Satellite operators often work with launch providers, manufacturers and service providers located in different jurisdictions.

Questions were raised about how the regulation would interact with companies and systems licensed outside the EU and how existing international partnerships might be affected.

Another topic discussed was the authorisation process. Space activities remain subject to national authorisation and supervision under international space treaties. States remain responsible and liable for activities conducted by operators under their jurisdiction. The discussion touched on how an EU-level framework would interact with national licensing systems.

Legal instrument

The Commission has proposed the EU Space Act as a regulation, rather than a directive. A regulation applies directly across EU Member States, whereas a directive allows national governments to implement rules through national legislation.

The proposal states that the regulation format is intended to establish common baseline rules across the Union.

Industry and national perspectives raised in the panel

Several practical aspects were mentioned during the discussion.

Companies highlighted the importance of legal certainty when navigating licensing and compliance requirements. For operators working under both EU and national systems, questions remain about how these processes would interact.

Another point concerned the potential impact on supply chains and partnerships, particularly where launch services or satellite licensing take place outside the EU.

The discussion also referred to emerging activities such as in-orbit servicing, debris mitigation, propulsion systems and satellite refuelling, which may fall within the scope of safety and sustainability provisions.

Legislative process

The EU Space Act proposal is currently undergoing the ordinary legislative procedure, involving negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.

If adopted, the regulation would introduce a common EU framework governing safety, resilience and sustainability requirements for space activities within the EU market.

Featured Image credit: © Feike Faase Fotografie