Portuguese Space Agency promotes public debate on the EU’s first space law
The Portuguese Space Agency is promoting a public debate to evaluate the impact of the new European regulation on the national space ecosystem and is organising a workshop on the subject on 12th September.
The Portuguese Space Agency is hosting a workshop on September 12th to discuss the proposed European regulation for space, the EU Space Act, which was presented by the European Commission this week. The regulation focuses on the safety, resilience, and sustainability of space activities.
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 conducting a survey 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. Participation in the survey is optional and will remain open until July 31, 2025.
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.
