Programme in a nutshell
Concrete examples of achievements
The EU secure connectivity programme was in its first year of implementation in 2023, with no data available for presenting key achievements.
Rationale and design of the programme
The Union secure connectivity programme will provide enhanced satellite communication capacities to governmental users, businesses and citizens. It aims to deploy an EU satellite constellation – IRIS² (infrastructure for resilience, interconnectivity and security by satellite) – to support a wide variety of governmental applications, mainly in the domains of situational awareness (e.g. border surveillance), crisis management (e.g. humanitarian aid) and the connection and protection of key infrastructures (e.g. secure communications for EU embassies).
On the commercial side, it will enable mass-market applications, including mobile and fixed broadband satellite access, satellite access for transportation, reinforced networks by satellite, and satellite broadband and cloud-based services.
The functioning of our economy and our security are increasingly dependent on secure and resilient connectivity. Digital hyperconnectivity and technological transformation are prompting an unprecedented increase in the demand for services that depend on edge technologies. At the same time, there is a growing demand by EU governmental actors for secure and reliable satellite communication services, particularly because they are the only viable option in situations where ground-based communication systems are non-existent, disrupted or unreliable. Affordable and cost-effective access to satellite-based communication is also indispensable in remote regions, on the high seas and in airspace.
The EU’s sovereignty and security must be safeguarded by providing resilient, global, guaranteed and flexible satellite communication solutions built on an EU technological and industrial base. To that end, on 15 March 2023, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union adopted Regulation (EU) 2023/588 establishing the Union secure connectivity programme.
The Union secure connectivity programme aims to provide for an EU satellite-based, multi-orbital communication infrastructure for governmental use, while integrating and complementing existing and future national and European capacities within the framework of the European Union governmental satellite communications component of the Union space programme. The programme will also further develop and gradually integrate the European quantum communication infrastructure initiative to allow for the quantum distribution of cryptographic keys.
The general objectives of the Union secure connectivity programme are as follows.
- To ensure the provision and long-term availability, within the EU’s territory and worldwide, of uninterrupted access to secure, autonomous, high-quality, reliable and-cost effective satellite governmental communication services to government-authorised users. This will be done by establishing a multi-orbital, secure connectivity system under civil control.
- To enable the provision of commercial services, or services offered to government-authorised users based on commercial infrastructure at market conditions, which is entirely financed by the private sector in accordance with the EU’s applicable competition law. The aims are to facilitate, where and as necessary, the further development through private investment of worldwide high-speed broadband and seamless connectivity; to remove communication dead zones; and to increase cohesion across the territories of the Member States.
The specific objectives of the Union secure connectivity programme are to:
- complement and integrate the existing and future capacities of the governmental satellite communications component into the secure connectivity system;
- improve the resilience, security and autonomy of the EU’s and Member States’ communication services;
- further develop and gradually integrate the European quantum communication infrastructure into the secure connectivity system;
- ensure the right of use of orbital slots and relevant frequencies;
- increase the robustness of the EU’s and Member States’ communication services and the cyber resilience of the EU by developing redundancy, developing passive, proactive and reactive cyber protection and operational cybersecurity, and implementing protective measures against cyber threats and other measures against electromagnetic threats;
- enable, where possible, the development of communication and additional non-communication services, in particular by improving the components of the Union space programme to create synergies between them and expand their capabilities and services, and to enable the development of non-communication services to be provided to Member States by hosting additional satellite subsystems, including payloads;
- encourage innovation, efficiency and the development and use of disruptive technologies and innovative business models throughout the European space ecosystem, including new space actors, new entrants, start-ups and small- and medium-sized enterprises, in order to strengthen the competitiveness of the EU space sector;
- improve secure connectivity over geographical areas of strategic interest, such as Africa, the Arctic, the Baltic, the Black Sea, Mediterranean regions and the Atlantic;
- enhance the safety and sustainability of outer-space activities by implementing appropriate measures to ensure and to promote responsible behaviour in space when implementing the programme, including by seeking to prevent the proliferation of space debris.
The main activities of the Union secure connectivity programme include actions on the definition, design, development and validation of the programme. These actions will be implemented in direct management by the Commission. The Commission intends to procure, award and sign contracts for deploying and operating the space and ground infrastructure to provide secure governmental services.
The Commission, working closely with the Member States, other EU institutions, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme and the European Space Agency, will gradually roll out exploitation activities to ensure the operation, maintenance, continuous improvement and protection of space and ground infrastructure, including replenishment and obsolescence management and the future evolution of governmental services.
In line with Article 22 of the regulation establishing the Union secure connectivity programme, eligibility and participation conditions will apply to the award procedures where necessary and appropriate in order to preserve the security, integrity and resilience of the operational EU systems.
Provided that the interests of the EU are protected, the Commission will entrust the European Space Agency with tasks relating to the supervision of the development, the validation and the related deployment activities for the construction of the space and ground infrastructure required to provide governmental services. Furthermore, provided that the interests of the EU are protected, the Commission will pursue the development and deployment of the European quantum communication infrastructure for gradual integration into the secure connectivity system, and will entrust to the European Space Agency tasks relating to the space and related ground segment of the European quantum communication infrastructure.
The activities of the Commission financed under the Union secure connectivity programme will be complemented by additional financing from Horizon Europe for development and validation activities and from the European Space Agency programme relating to secure connectivity.
The Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space is the lead DG for the programme. The programme is implemented mainly through direct management by the Commission and will be complemented, provided that the interests of the EU are protected, by actions implemented under indirect management by the European Space Agency mainly relating to supervision of development and validation and to the European quantum communication infrastructure.
In the future, some of the activities relating to operational management of the governmental infrastructure of the programme may be entrusted to the European Union Agency for the Space Programme subject to its operational readiness.
The legal basis of the regulation establishing the programme is Article 189 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
Programme website:
Impact assessment:
- the impact assessment of the EU secure connectivity programme was adopted in 2020. For further information please consult: SWD(2022) 30 final (impact assessment).
Budget
Budget programming (million EUR):
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The financial envelope for the implementation of the programme until 31 December 2027 is EUR 2.4 billion in current prices. This relates to the implementation of the programme and the associated risks covering the technical, security, programmatic, financial, contractual and governance aspects.
The total budget is composed of the programme budget (EUR 1 387.9 million), and it is complemented by the budgets of other EU programmes (EUR 1 012.1 million), the objectives of which are consistent with and complementary to the objectives of the programme. The following should be noted in particular.
- Horizon Europe, established by Regulation (EU) 2021/695 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Decision (EU) 2021/7649, will allocate a dedicated share of the components of its ‘Digital, industry and space’ cluster to research and innovation activities relating to developing and validating the secure connectivity system, including the potential technologies that would be developed under the space ecosystem, including new space.
- The Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe, established by Regulation (EU) 2021/947 of the European Parliament and of the Council, will allocate a dedicated share of its Global Europe funds to activities relating to the operation of the secure connectivity system and the worldwide provision of services that will make it possible to offer an array of services to international partners.
- The Union space programme, established by Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of the European Parliament and of the Council, will allocate a dedicated share of its governmental satellite communications component to activities relating to the development of the EU Governmental Satellite Communications Hub, which will form part of the ground infrastructure of the secure connectivity system.
The funding stemming from these programmes will be implemented in accordance with the rules of these programmes.
In addition, in 2021 and 2022, the Commission brought forward the implementation of some of the activities linked to secure connectivity, in particular relating to the European quantum communication infrastructure, which could be sustained under the existing legal acts and which require an intensive development phase, in particular under the Connecting Europe Facility and the digital Europe programme.
Budget performance – implementation
Cumulative implementation rate at the end of 2023 (million EUR):
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Voted budget implementation (million EUR)(*):
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The programme activities were rolled out in March 2023, when the Commission published an invitation to tender to procure a concession contract (1). The public–private partnership between the Commission and the private sector will ensure common investment in the design, development, deployment and operation of governmental and commercial infrastructure, its use and exploitation.
At the time of the report, the procurement process for the concession contract was still on-going. The tight working schedule was respected, as planned, in view of signing the main contract for the implementation of the Union Secure Connectivity Programme 2024, subject to a positive outcome of the ongoing procurement.
Governmental services will be provided using a phased approach. Initial services will be provided by 2024, followed by gradual deployment activities to complete the space and ground infrastructure, aiming to meet the needs of governmental users and to achieve full operational capability by 2027.
(1) European Commission, Tenders Electronic Daily – Services – 173193-2023.
Contribution to horizontal priorities
Green budgeting
Contribution to green budgeting priorities (million EUR):
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The EU secure connectivity programme (and the EU space programme) place great emphasis on the green transition and have a key role to play. On one hand, EU space data and services enable other sectors to achieve the ambitious Green Deal objectives and the green transition; on the other hand, the EU space industry sector itself must transform and adapt to comply with the Green Deal policies and legislation and hence improve its practices throughout its full value chain.
Gender
Contribution to gender equality (million EUR) (*):
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The regulation establishing the programme states that the programme should contribute to the development of advanced skills in space-related fields and support education and training activities, along with promoting equal opportunities, gender equality and women’s empowerment, in order to realise the full potential of EU citizens in that area. In this respect, following the roll-out of the activities in March 2023, the Commission will promote and encourage increased participation of women and establish equality and inclusion goals in the tender documentation. The Commission will also support initiatives to raise awareness of gender equality in the area of space. The gender score for 2023 should be 0*.
Digital
Contribution to the digital transition (million EUR):
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The services that will be provided under the programme are expected to boost the digital transition in Europe and worldwide. The programme was adopted in 2023 and the first activities were rolled out in March 2023, with the publication of an invitation to tender to procure a concession contract. A contract is expected to be signed in the first half of 2024 to support and facilitate the further development of worldwide high-speed broadband and seamless connectivity under the IRIS² programme.
Budget performance – outcomes
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Link to file with complete set of EU core performance indicators
- The programme will be monitored closely on the basis of a set of indicators intended to measure the extent to which the specific objectives of the programme have been achieved and with a view to minimising administrative burdens and costs. To that end, the annex to Regulation (EU) 2023/588 establishes a set of key performance indicators. In addition, the service definition document applicable to the programme will define more detailed key performance indicators with minimum performance levels, once available. The programme has yet to be implemented, as the regulation only entered into force on 20 March 2023.
- In 2023 and, following the adoption of the regulation establishing the programme, the focus was on further specifying the legislative framework of the programme. Several implementing acts were adopted i.e., on the operational requirements for the governmental services provided under the programme and its service portfolio, on the general security requirements of the programme and on the setting out of the rules on the sharing and prioritisation of satellite communication capacities, services and user equipment. In addition, a Commission implementing act was adopted, entrusting budget implementation tasks to the European Space Agency, with a contribution agreement signed on 21 September 2023.
- To ensure close cooperation with Members States and field experts, two working groups were set up under the competent committee of the programme – the governmental satellite communications configuration of the EU space programme committee – which also serves as the programme committee of the EU Secure Connectivity Programme/IRIS²: the working group to support the development and deployment of the European quantum communication infrastructure within IRIS² and to provide recommendations, and the working group to advise on technical matters and aspects relating to the use of governmental satellite communication services, the needs and requirements of governmental users and the satellite communication user technology.
- With regard to the ground infrastructure, a call for expression of interest to determine the location of the IRIS² sites and the sites of the EU governmental satellite communications hubs was launched in 2023. A commission decision is expected in 2024.
- Initial governmental services are expected by the end of 2024, building on the governmental satellite communications component of the EU space programme, which constitutes the first building block of IRIS².
- As regards the market uptake activities, initial works for starting a preparatory action to develop innovative user terminals for European secure satellite communication services were explored, enabling production and market penetration with the use of open standards.
- Negotiations with third parties were pursued, with formal requests received from Iceland and Norway to open negotiations for their participation to the governmental satellite communications and IRIS² programmes. A negotiation mandate for the approval of the Council in view of establishing an international agreement is to be proposed in the first half of 2024.
Green budgeting priorities
- To reduce the environmental impact of space activities, DG Defence Industry and Space worked on the preparation of a European Parliament-backed pilot project that will be rolled out in 2024, aimed at developing a sector-specific life cycle assessment method – product environmental footprint category rules – for the space sector. Also, preparations for launching a call for tender in 2024 were undertaken in 2023. The contract will support the formulation of environmental strategic and policy aspects for the future development of the EU space programmes and the greenhouse gas emissions reporting activities.
- The activities were rolled out in March 2023 and, in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal, the programme should minimise its environmental impact as far as possible. While the space-based assets do not themselves emit greenhouse gases while in use, their manufacturing and associated ground facilities do have an environmental impact.
- To that end, the procurement procedures and contracts should include principles and measures on environmental and space sustainability. These should include provisions to minimise and offset the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the development, production and deployment of the infrastructure and provisions establishing a scheme to offset the remaining greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon offsetting should be preferably done via carbon removal, applying consensus methods on accounting for greenhouse gas removal as soon as they are available (preferably the EU regulatory framework, if available at the start of the activities). The contracts should also include provisions on measures to prevent light pollution, the use of appropriate collision-avoidance technologies for spacecraft and the submission and implementation of a comprehensive debris mitigation plan to ensure the avoidance of debris by the satellites of the constellation.
Sustainable development goals
Contribution to the sustainable development goals
The services that will be provided under the EU secure connectivity programme (once operational) are expected to contribute to several goals of sustainable development by connecting remote areas and areas with limited terrestrial connectivity infrastructure.
Green procurement principles will be pursued to set in place the infrastructure that will be providing communication through space and avoiding the deployment of ground networks, submarine cables, high power cables or fibres (buried in the ground or above the ground). No significant harm will therefore be done to the sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources.
| SDGs the programme contributes to | Example |
|---|---|
| SDG5 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls | The Commission will promote and encourage increased participation of women and establish equality and inclusion goals in the tender documentation. |
| SDG9 Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation | The services that will be provided under the EU secure connectivity programme are expected to contribute to several goals of sustainable development by connecting remote areas and areas with limited terrestrial connectivity infrastructure. A major programme objective is to improve secure connectivity over geographical areas of strategic interest of the EU, in particular Africa and the Arctic, and support the sustainable development and social cohesion in these regions. Ensuring environmental and space sustainability is another key programmatic focus where the new European constellation will satisfy space sustainability criteria and be an example of good practices in space traffic management and in space surveillance and tracking promoting responsible behaviour in space. |