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The EU budget enables an independent space and navigation policy for Europe

In a nutshell

Sentinel: Space photos of the European Space Agency (ESA)

Funded by the EU budget, the European space policy continues to be a success story.

Galileo provides European citizens and businesses with free, independent, and highly accurate navigation services – used both on millions of phones and industrial devices across the EU and the rest of the world.

All EU Member States made considerable savings by pooling their resources to build, maintain and extend one satellite system rather than 27 individual systems. In addition, the EU is taking steps to further develop its joint satellite capacity – for example by improving its security.

The role of the EU budget

Galileo - Europe's global navigation satellite system – is truly European, 100% EU budget funded and owned by the EU. It provides accurate and reliable positioning and timing information, used for example in mobile phones, cars (and in the future autonomous and connected cars), railways, aviation and other sectors.

From 2014 until 2020, the EU spent €7 billion on satellite navigation. Under the current Multiannual Financial Framework (2021-2027) about €2.1 billion annually are available for the EU Space programme, which includes satellite navigation, totalling about €14.6 billion over the entire period.

Additionally, in 2022 the EU agreed on launching a space-based secure connectivity system (IRIS²) – funded by €2.4 billion from the EU budget.

 

More details – results achieved

Through EU funding, Galileo has achieved the following results:

  • In 2021, more than 2.5 billion Galileo enabled devices were in use enjoying up to three times better accuracy when compared to other global navigation satellite systems.
  • By 2029, Galileo will generate an estimated €166 billion in revenue from added-value services relying on its technology – boosting the European economy considerably.
  • The new EU secure connectivity satellite constellation, IRIS², will provide Member States with guaranteed access to highly secure, sovereign, and global connectivity services.