if Europe truly wants to lead in space, it must do so responsibly—by embedding public investment, social justice, industrial sovereignty, quality jobs, and environmental leadership at its core

"The EU Space Act signals a shift—but Europe must turn intention into impact,” said Isabelle Barthès, Deputy General Secretary of industriAll Europe. “We currently underinvest in space by a factor of six compared to the U.S. and risk falling behind both the U.S. and China.”

IndustriAll Europe welcomes the Act’s support mechanisms for SMEs and startups but insists that public financial support must come with conditionalities: quality employment, collective bargaining rights, lifelong learning, and climate-conscious innovation. IndustriAll Europe also calls for embedding local content requirements in procurement policies to favour EU-led consortia, addressing job insecurity, skills shortages, and demographic challenges across the space and aeronautics sectors—which collectively support around 400,000 jobs in Europe.

“Environmental leadership must underpin every aspect,” Isabelle Barthès added. “We need binding Life Cycle Assessments, liability frameworks, and procurement rules that uphold space as a global good.”

An internal market for space

The EU Space Act seeks to transform Europe’s currently fragmented patchwork of national space regulations into a unified legal and operational framework. With some 11,000 satellites already orbiting Earth and another 50,000 projected by 2035, the growing risks from congestion, space debris, and cybersecurity threats have prompted urgent calls for coordination.

The Act treats space as an internal market for the first time, allowing operators—both EU and non-EU—to function across member states under a single license. This aims to cut red tape and eliminate regulatory inefficiencies across the 27 national regimes.

Built around a tripartite “Pillar Framework,” the EU Space Act targets:

  • Safety: The regulation mandates enhanced space traffic tracking, collision-avoidance protocols, and strict end-of-life disposal for satellites to ensure continuous European access to orbit.
  • Resilience: Space operators will need to conduct risk assessments, implement robust cybersecurity measures, report incidents, and share threat intelligence, reflecting growing concern over satellite interference, cyberattacks, and jamming.
  • Sustainability: A harmonised environmental impact assessment—covering CO₂ emissions and debris generation—will push for greener design and innovation, including in-orbit servicing and debris removal missions.

The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and the Commission will be responsible for licensing, oversight, on-site inspections, and enforcement. Companies failing to comply could face penalties of up to 2% of their global revenue. To support especially smaller players, the Commission has committed to assisting with licensing, testing infrastructure, and capacity building.

Strategic Autonomy

More than a regulatory push, the EU Space Act is a key pillar in the EU’s strategic autonomy agenda. With initiatives like the IRIS² satellite internet constellation expected by 2027, the EU aims to reduce dependence on foreign systems such as Starlink and develop its own sovereign capabilities.
A new budget window under the EU’s Competitiveness Fund (2028–2034) will direct funding toward resilience, defence, and space technologies.
IndustriAll Europe insists that public investment must not only drive innovation and strategic autonomy, but also ensure fair work, sustainability, and industrial sovereignty.

“This initiative is promising,” concludes Isabelle Barthès. “But if Europe truly wants to lead in space, it must do so responsibly—by embedding public investment, social justice, industrial sovereignty, quality jobs, and environmental leadership at its core.”