European Union Space Services Agency

Key points

The EESC:

• welcomes the establishment of the European Union Space Services Agency through a self-standing founding act, which significantly strengthens the legal certainty, continuity and institutional stability of the EU’s space infrastructure;
• emphasises that satellite Position, Navigation and Timing services together with Earth Observation services, are vital assets for the EU single market;
• recommends that the Agency prepare for future cooperation with the upcoming European Competitiveness Fund by designing streamlined access procedures and targeted support measures for SMEs and start-ups;
• expresses concern over the growing structural shortage of qualified engineers, data analysts, and cybersecurity specialists. The Agency should work closely with academic institutions and social partners to foster STEM education and vocational upskilling and reskilling initiatives;
• supports the introduction of 24/7 operational and crisis-management mechanisms to protect EU space assets against hybrid, cyber, and space weather threats. However, such measures must strictly uphold EU labour standards and working time rules;
• insists that the proposed framework whereby the Agency collects charges and fees for services must be structured cautiously to avoid creating financial barriers for smaller European innovators;
• underlines the importance of the strict structural independence of the Security Accreditation Board within the Agency and views with caution the proposed three-month tacit approval mechanism to prevent procedural deadlocks, insisting it must not compromise technical safety or the independence of accreditation decisions;
• emphasises that the Agency’s tasks must be defined with sufficient legal certainty, avoiding vague formulations that could blur responsibilities or weaken the Agency’s operational mandate.