The European Commission proposes EU Space Act

On 25 June 2025, the European Commission proposed the EU Space Act to make Europe’s space sector cleaner, safer and more competitive in Europe and its export markets. Europe’s space rules are currently fragmented, with many different national approaches. This patchwork holds back innovation, reduces the European market share and creates extra costs. The European Commission stated in the proposal that space activities are quickly expanding worldwide, spurred by a growing demand for space-based data and space services and by a reduction in the cost of satellite manufacturing and launching. To flank this expansion in space activities and the growing involvement of new commercial actors in cross-border space activities, 13 Member States have passed national space legislations. The resulting patchwork of regulatory approaches is leading to a fragmented internal market.

The general objective of the EU Space Act proposal is to support the development and functioning of the internal market for the space sector. The proposal rests on three key pillars: safety, resilience and environmental sustainability. Safety: the proposal aims to ensure the trackability of space objects and reduce the generation of space debris, thereby enhancing the safety of space activities. Resilience: the proposal highlights the need to create a risk assessment framework that is tailored to the specific cybersecurity needs of space infrastructure, thereby enhancing the resilience of space activities. Sustainability: based on the proposal, a common method for calculating the environmental impact of space activities in the Union should be created to enhance the sustainability of space activities.

The new rules would apply to both EU and national space assets, as well as to non-EU operators offering services in Europe. Regulatory requirements will be adapted to company size and level of maturity, and measured against the risks involved. The legislative proposal is subject to negotiations in the European Parliament and in the Council, under the ordinary legislative procedure. The Commission will now proceed in close cooperation with the EU Member States, the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and other space partners. Based on the proposal, the provisions of the EU Space Act would apply from 1 January 2030.