Portuguese Space Agency promotes public debate on the EU’s first space law

[The European Commission has extended the public consultation deadline until 7 November, which is also the closing date of the Portuguese Space Agency’s survey. The contributions gathered from the national ecosystem will support the continued follow-up of the proposal’s discussion process.]

On September 12th, at the Pavilhão do Conhecimento in Lisbon, the Portuguese Space Agency will host the session “EU Space Act: Contributions for a National Position,” part of the “Dialogues with Space” debate series. The event aims to promote debate and reflection on the proposed European regulation for space, the EU Space Act, presented by the European Commission, which is dedicated to the safety, resilience, and sustainability of space activities. The agenda is now available for consultation here (in Portuguese).

At a time when 12 national regulatory frameworks coexist within the European space, the European Commission is presenting what it aims to be a harmonised set of principles and procedures applicable to space activities conducted within the EU’s territory. From the Commission’s perspective, the EU Space Act signifies a shared approach to space traffic management, the protection of critical infrastructure in orbit, and the preservation of the space environment, amid continuous and exponential growth in the number of objects in orbit and the increasing diversification of operators.

Following this proposal, and as part of efforts to prepare for and monitor the debate process surrounding this European initiative, the Portuguese Space Agency is surveying to support a public debate involving the national space sector. The aim is to gather input that may help identify potential positive or negative impacts of the new European regulatory and technical framework on space activities carried out in Portugal.

The President of the Portuguese Space Agency, Ricardo Conde, emphasises that “the survey allows us to gather contributions and prepare a solid national position that can be considered in the negotiations between the Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council, which will take place in the coming months. This is a strategic moment, in which Member States have the opportunity to propose amendments to the legislative text and influence the final draft of the EU Space Act based on national specificities and priorities.”

Portugal has some of the most recent and innovative legislation in Europe in the field of space activities. The national legal framework, approved in 2019 and revised in 2024, outlines the obligations and principles applicable to space operations, including the licensing of launches from national territory and operations in orbit, among other matters.

The proposal for an EU Space Act will now be discussed in the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, with the current proposal expected to take effect from January 1, 2030. The text of the proposed regulation and other supporting documents can be consulted on the European Commission’s website.

[This article was corrected on 18 November with a new deadline for submitting contributions to the public consultation.]