Working Party on Space

Role

The Working Party on Space is tasked with working on the development of European space policy and related legislation, in particular:

• the EU space programme and its five components (Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus, Space Situational Awareness, and Govsatcom) as well as the new EU secure connectivity constellation, IRIS² (Infrastructure for resilience, interconnectivity and security by satellite)
• relations with the European Space Agency
• EU international relations in space
• the EU Space Act

The working party prepares the work of the Competitiveness Council.

Composition and meetings

The working party is composed of representatives (attachés and national experts) from all the EU member states. The European Commission is a permanent observer and the European External Action Service may be invited as an observer for specific agenda items.

The working party is chaired by the rotating presidency and usually meets 15-20 times a year.

Legal basis

With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009, space became a specific EU policy area. It is set out in Article 189 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. To assist Coreper in preparing Council discussions in this new policy area, a preparatory body needed to be established. On 24 September 2010 Coreper I decided to set up the Working Party on Space.