Commission presents proposals on space and defence

On the space side, the EU is acting on its space ambitions by tabling two initiatives - a proposal for a Regulation on a space-based secure connectivity and a Joint Communication on an EU approach on Space Traffic Management (STM). Today’s initiatives will help safeguard the efficiency and security of our current assets while developing European cutting-edge space technology to the benefit of our citizens and economy.

Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market, said:

“Space plays a growing role in our daily lives, our economic growth, our security, and our geopolitical weight. Our new connectivity infrastructure will deliver high-speed internet access, serve as a back-up to our current internet infrastructure, increase our resilience and cyber security, and provide connectivity to the whole of Europe and Africa. It will be a truly pan-European project allowing our many start-ups and Europe as a whole to be at the forefront of technological innovation.”

More information on the space proposals is available online:

• Press release
• Q&A on Secure Connectivity
• Q&A on Space Traffic Management
• Factsheet on Secure Connectivity
• Factsheet on Space Traffic Management

On the defence side, the Commission puts forward a number of Commission-led initiatives in areas critical for defence and security within the EU. These comprise a Contribution to European defence, covering the full range of challenges, from the conventional defence industry and equipment on land, sea and air, to cyber, hybrid and space threats, military mobility and the relevance of climate change; and a Roadmap on critical technologies for security and defence.

Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market, said:

“In the face of the new geopolitics, we need a stronger Europe in defence. Threats to the EU's security are no longer only of military nature, but are increasingly becoming hybrid, shifting towards cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns endangering the heart of our democracies. We need to focus on reducing strategic dependencies, supporting innovation of the defence ecosystem, encouraging joint procurement of defence capabilities. We must protect the new contested areas, such as space. And for this, we rely on the industrial defence and aerospace sectors, a high-tech ecosystem that is an essential driver for Europe's strategic autonomy and technological sovereignty.” 

More information on the defence proposals is available online:

• Press release
• Q&A
• Factsheet

Click here to watch back Commissioner Breton's press conference.