On 25 June 2025, the European Commission published the proposal for the long-anticipated EU Space Act, a legislative initiative that introduces a harmonised framework for space activities across the European Union and aims to ensure safety, resilience, and environmental sustainability, while boosting the competitiveness of the EU space sector. The act seeks to overcome the fragmentation of various national approaches and create a single market for space. The main pillars of the proposal are safety (reduce space debris and mitigate collision risks), resilience (cybersecurity requirements and risk management standards), and environmental sustainability (mandatory life cycle environmental footprint assessment for space activities).
The Space Act proposal is now being reviewed and negotiated by the European Parliament and the Council, which will certainly lead to changes in the content of the text. Some provisions of the proposal have already raised questions and unclarities for the EO private sector, both from the data providers’ and the service providers’ perspectives. How will the new financial and administrative requirements impact the competitiveness of European EO companies? How will it affect EO downstream service providers? Who are primary providers of space-based data? How will the governance of this multi-faceted framework be put into practice?
At this strategic moment, we are happy to welcome Zuzana Mazanová (Head of Unit, Space Single Market (DEFIS.C.2), DG DEFIS, European Commission) who will join our host Geoff Sawyer (EARSC Strategic Advisor and former Secretary General) for our next EOcafe. Join us to learn more about the EU Space Act, what it aims to achieve, how it will be negotiated, and how it will impact the EO private sector.
Some questions that could be addressed during this EOcafe include:
- What is the EU Space Act? What are the goals of the EU Space Act?
- What are the key elements of the EU Space Act?
- How does the EU Space Act apply to/how will it impact downstream service providers? And EO data providers?
- The European Commission has presented the EU Space Act proposal. What happens next? How can EARSC and the industry support this process?
- How does the Act seek to define “primary provider of space-based data”? Is there any additional clarification on who falls within this category?
- How will the European Commission support EO downstream service providers, especially SMEs, who may experience an increase in costs due to the compliance requirements for companies higher up in the value chain?
Registration: The webinar is open to all. Registration is free but compulsory.
Please note this is a virtual event!
EOcafe is part of a series of EARSC meetings that offer timely, relevant, and practical information on a broad variety of topics related to the EO sector. Join us every month to discuss and network while enjoying a cup of coffee with friends.
IMPORTANT NOTES!!!
- The use of a video camera is not mandatory but is encouraged to facilitate better interaction between the attendees and the guest speaker(s).
- The EOcafe will stay open after 17:00 in case our guests want to continue the discussion.
- By registering for this event, you accept the terms and conditions (https://earsc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/EARSC_Events_GDPR.pdf).
If you have any questions, and/or you want to know more about the EOcafe, and/or you want to share an idea about a future EOcafe, please contact Tanya Walker