- “I would like to start first of all by thanking the AIMCO committee and in particular the rapporteur and the shadow rapporteurs for this draft opinion on the legislative proposal of the EU space act and this is indeed very valuable at least for the European Commission and much appreciated contribution to the legislative process. As European Commission I have to say that we share the views of the rapporteurs and the shadow rapporteurs and this is more than ever a political and economic imperative to create stable and predictable but also an economic and competitive European space market. You mentioned Elon Musk there's not only Elon Musk we have nations from US from China competing with our companies and it's time to establish and harmonize the package of rules for all companies as you rightly said European and non Europeans accessing our internal space market. We have first of all to foster the competitiveness of our industrial ecosystem but we have as well to promote the strategic interest of the European Union and we see the latest years in particular with the war in Ukraine how relevant the space is in our daily life but also how vulnerable could be if we don't take particular actions. Our proposal is very simple we want to act now in a safely and in very coherent way rather than to react after incidents or accidents. We also agree with all the proposed amendments however I would like to point out two particular amendments for which we are more than grateful to the rapporteur. First of all the emphasis that the report places on the need to accompany the proposed rules with supportive measures in particular to the SMEs. We know that we need to promote the principle of proportionality it's not a one rule fits all and that we have to accompany SMEs and start ups in order to sustain in this difficult environment. So we take note and we consider that this is a point that will really optimize and reinforce Commission's proposal. We would like as well to welcome the dictate proposals on the recognition of equivalence and acknowledges that it is necessary that these equivalence schemes with third countries be based on a reciprocal conditions. It's not that we will recognize the scheme of the US but they will recognize as well the scheme of the European Union and this is a win win situation taking into account that once European companies will make business in the US they don't have to go through very critical and from time to time difficult assessment processes. I would like also to reassure Mister Stekovsky. Thank you very much.”
EU Single Market harmonisation · EU competences on space policy
- “That the European Commission. I cannot comment. You can understand the reason why. And this is a matter of principle, principle of a purported agreement between Italy and Starlink. This is the case also on any other discussion that it will take or it takes place in Italy right now. Italy and not only Italy, but all the member states are sovereign states and they can take their sovereign decisions, and therefore it's on their own prerogative to decide the extent of their resilience to a non European connectivity solution. All that we will do and all that we try to do right now and even to accelerate, is to work on a positive agenda point. And this positive agenda point is nothing else than offer already in 2025 and work as soon as we can in order to offer Irish care in a timely manner for our governments. And in your question, if there is a danger Enter for the security. I have to know. I have to say that from a security point of view, Italy can put their, uh, secrets in the system that they will decide on the other side if we want to bring UCI, the EU confidential information of the other member states in a system which is not accredited at European level, there are dedicated regulations adopted by the union that will be a firewall and a protection and additional protection to a potential danger that I cannot see. But once again, impossible for us today to comment and take position on national decisions, if any. At the end. Thank you very much. _________________________________________________________________________”
EU policy on screening foreign investment in strategic sectors and critical infrastructure
- “Okay thank you I'm Greek so I should learn the pronunciation on two very particular points that you raised in your intervention. First of all the prerogatives of the member states there are red lines that the European Commission should respect and the internal market should of SpaceX should take into account. We don't marginalize the member states and we don't touch upon areas like defense where this is mainly and surely their prerogatives. And I would like as well to emphasize your position on the resilient chapter you are right we don't have to duplicate existing rules in the area we have MISTRO our objective was to build upon MISTRO and just point out specific elements of the space sector that they have to be being taken into account. And as you rightly said the space act should be seen as an opportunity not a threat. The threat is in the space we have more than one million debris that from one day to another could create collisions and in one minute we can lose satellites in space great investment made by private companies space sector and member states and even worse lose the services the so valuable services that we get here on the ground. So all in all and I conclude with this we reiterate as European Commission our commitment to support the colleges' leaders in their deliberations with a view of a successful conclusion of the ordinary legislative process in a timely manner. Thank you very much.”
EU competences on defence · EU competences on space policy
- “We signed this contract with the private sector and in particular with three satellite operators, namely Eutelsat, SES and Hispasat. They are for the first time in the history of space program, where the private sector contributes financially and in a global budgetary envelope for the 12 years of €10.6 billion. We have already the private sector that will contribute 4.1 billion. We can understand in this particular days, in this particular field of telecom, that they are going in front of an Armageddon. What does it mean? €4 billion for them to go ahead with such a program. On the other side, the public sector, always in accordance with the contract concluded last year, should mobilize €6 billion, out of which the 1.5 is already committed under the current MFF complimented by the European Space Agency. Half €1 billion already now, and the rest of the money should be mobilized by the public sector in the course of the following MFF. And just a few words about the scope, what we will bring in terms of space segment in the context of fires. First of all, 18 satellites at me orbit 264 satellites at the level of Leo orbit, and ten additional satellites on the very low. I know that it should be sound as difficult sentences to understand. However, I would like to make just a comparison with what exists today. All the other programs, namely Starlink or Kuiper, they try to go ahead with thousands of satellites, small satellites on the Leo orbit as close as possible to the Earth.”
EU competences on space policy
- “Our objective in this critical phase is to develop all the technological features that will provide the secure connectivity program with great differentiators in terms of performance and in terms of security, but also in terms of new technologies. We said it several times. We are not the first program. We have Starlink, we have a Kuiper that they already exist. And some of them, they will be the reality worldwide in the few years. So as Europeans, as we are not the first, we should and we will be the best. Then the second phase will run between 29 and 30, and it's the a so-called deployment phase. Is the two years almost where we will go ahead with 13 launches is where we will deploy our constellation is where the European Union should demonstrate as well an autonomous access to space, because there we want to launch based on European launchers being carried on being all the micro launchers that they will come in the next years, being Vega, which already exists. And last but not least, our objective is to be ready to provide services by the year 2030 for some of you. For some of us, these five years could be seen as a lot of time. And however, the European Commission, in order to avoid such a gap, has the intention as from this year, year 2025, to provide the European governmental authorities with services based on the existing capacity in Europe. So we try to fill the gap and we try to serve the needs of the Member States as soon as we can.”
EU competences on space policy
- “Thank you very much and good morning to the honourable members of the Committee. In the next five minutes, I will try to present you the Irish concession contract, as it was agreed the 16th of December last year, based on the Irish regulation adopted unanimously by the European Council and almost unanimously by the European Parliament, we launched within five days the procurement process in order to do two things. First of all, to ensure secure, autonomous and highly qualified services for our governments and our governmental authorities, while at the same time, in the context of a PPE, ensure the provision of commercial services by the private sector. The main objective, and I have to build on your previous point in general of the space, but also in particular by the Secure Connectivity Irish programme, is to build on competitiveness needs of the of the European Union, as well as resilience and sovereignty. Our final objective, once we are looking at the governmental services, is to allow all the governmental authorities to to communicate securely and autonomously everywhere. And we say, based on the current geopolitical situation, what could be for a state to communicate securely and at the same time to be autonomous everywhere in terms of defence and external actions, in terms of surveillance, in terms of key infrastructures, and also in terms of crisis management. With the contract concluded last year, we will run for 12 years. Three major phases. We will start with the design and development phase that will last for 2 to 3 years.”
EU competences on defence · EU competences on space policy
- “Thank you very much. And thanks as well for all the pertinent questions. Uh, first of all, the automotive Sector mentioned by, uh. Mr. Salvini, uh, we have to say that we do consider the economy of the European Union, that space and in particular, secure connectivity, should be seen as an enabler for other sectors of our economy. You mentioned the automotive. For us also is one of the first priorities. And actually since last year already we work with the 5G community in order to gather their requirements and facilitate the way that the Irish final product could be used in the context of the automotive sector, and in particular for the autonomous driving. So well noted. We work on it and we have very positive reaction from this community. Uh, then about the money, thank you for reminding us that the US public sector and once we have the private sector already contributing, we have to create this stable and predictable environment and we have to mobilize nothing more, but also nothing less than what we concluded under the concession contract. With regard to the question of ownership.”
Road transport environmental policy · 5G
- “The difference and the differentiator, and I can even say the intelligence of the European engineering approach is that we combine more Orbits and as higher as we go. Better. We can see the globe without the need to go ahead with the manufacturing of thousands of satellites. So what we can do with at least 300 satellites? The others? The law of physics. They need to go ahead with 1000, 2000, 3000 satellites. So not only we get almost the same performance, but at the same time, we go ahead with a responsible behavior vis a vis the space in the way that the European Parliament asks the European Commission to do it in the context of the regulation. We try to create something without destroying something else. And this is once again the beauty of the way that we are doing business in Europe. Uh, the last point where I would like just to raise a mention is the risks. Uh, we don't consider that such a big program could come without inherent risks. And we do consider that we have to face two major risks. The first, it is relevant to the technological maturity. As I said, we want to go ahead with the best technological system, a state of the art. However, for the next 1 to 2 years, we have to follow closely the way that the maturity of these technologies could run and very important, all the trade offs that we have to be ready as plan B, plan C to induce in order to avoid particular issues vis a vis the schedule.”
EU competences on space policy
- “Between Starlink, Cooper and Iris. And I think that we have to say it openly and loudly is that we don't have the same objective on the Irish question. We put the accent as far as the public sector is concerned, to governmental services. We call it hard gov governmental services because they are highly secure and encrypted. Once we turn to Starlink and as you rightly mentioned, 6000 satellites and they can go up to 10,000. The same for Cooper there. We are talking for purely commercial satellites, for purely commercial infrastructures, for purely commercial systems. So you can understand that in terms of security, in terms of reliability, we are not talking about the same product. Actor. And this is something which we have to keep in mind each and every time that we try to put at the same level. Starling, Iris. But I don't want to hijack the Iris moment by talking for Starling. Then a question about the the production line and the need to make it. I can say on the motto by European, I have really to confirm to the European Parliament that more than the objective, the legal obligation of the European Commission, already reflected under the concession contract, is to make it with the support, with the intelligence, with all the know how of the European companies. And I have to say that today that, yes, we have such an intelligence. Yes, we have such a such a qualification and why we have to make it with European. Because once again, if we have to use it for our defence systems, then all the crypto elements, they have to be under the control of European companies, European governments and be as well accredited by the Security Accreditation Board of the European Union in order to allow the governments to use it with full, uh, reliance to the quality, the secure character and the real reliability of the system. Then, on the very pertinent issue, confirmer les services de satcom Pret pour l'année de mille. Vingt cinq sur la question.”
EU digital & tech sovereignty · EU competences on defence · EU competences on space policy
- “On the question of the Commission informing the Member States. This is a decision which was taken by member States, representatives and ourselves. There is no need for the members, for the Commission President to be contacting the representatives of Member States, because the member States are working with the Commission itself to implement these services, and therefore, accreditation of any services should take place in the first part of 2025. These services, it is hoped, will also come on stream this year later on. And what the services are proposing is that the existing capacity in Europe, which exists in Italy, France, Germany, Greece and a number of other member states will serve as a pool resource for the Commission, and the Commission will then develop the further proposals on the basis of the collaboration that is in place with these Member States, which are already in the vanguard. But all the Member States will be involved in the further work. It is hoped. And then a further point some of you will have read in the press. There are those who have alluded to it.”
Defence spending · EU competences on defence
- “And in terms of ownership under the regulation. We're talking about both tangible and intangible properties, movable and immovable, and it belongs to the proprietor. The ownership is in the hands of the European Union. The private sector only has access. It has access rights, as they're known, a right to access, a right to access in order to be able to use the infrastructure for appropriate purposes to develop their business. So there should be no concern in terms of ownership rights because the European Union is the proprietor and the idea is to establish an infrastructure which is focused on meeting the needs of the public authorities. That is to say, obviously, our governments and our defense ministries. And so we would not be thinking of. A structure which belonged even to a European consortium that involved private operators. The approach is based on Galileo and on Copernicus. And it's very it's a very clear development thereof. But I'm glad you asked the question, because I'd like to be able to emphasize the fact that we have not in any way put our rights into the hands of any private operators such as Starlink has done, obviously.”
EU competences on defence · Ownership of strategic assets
- “And the second particular risk it has to do with the industrial readiness. We have to go ahead with a great supply chain. They have to be there, and they have to be ready to ramp up as soon as possible. And when we are talking about the provision of the supply chain, we know we are fully aware. And it's more than a regulatory obligation that we have to promote SMEs and startups in this program. This program is not made for big companies only. This program should be a shift paradigm in the way that new space, the way that we call it, could enter the Irish, Enter and provide its culture and therefore be in a position to help us. And at the same time to help them to provide their own technologies, their own services. So we have the 30% of the subcontracting in particular to SMEs and startups, and we will be ready to report throughout the major milestones of this program to the European Parliament with the conviction that the program will be there, that the SMEs will be there, and that the Member States will be in a position to get the services in a secure and autonomous way in due time. Thank you very much.”
EU competences on space policy · EU policy on employment subcontracting