EPP Group Hearing on Securing Europe’s Eyes in the Sky: The Security of EU Satellites

This hearing will bring together Members of the European Parliament, policymakers, defence experts, and representatives from key European institutions to discuss the growing security challenges facing the European Union’s space infrastructure. Confirmed reports of foreign spacecraft conducting proximity operations near European geostationary satellites, alongside credible indications of communications interception and signal interference, have exposed vulnerabilities in systems that Europe increasingly relies on for its security, defence, and critical services. Against this backdrop, the hearing will examine whether existing EU frameworks are sufficient to ensure the resilience of European space assets in times of crisis and conflict, while contributing to ongoing parliamentary work on the future of EU space policy and the security of EU-funded space infrastructure.

This EPP hearing is co-hosted by MEPs Hélder Sousa Silva, Paulius Saudargas and Christophe Gomart.

Programme

14:45 | Opening remarks

By Commissioner Andrius Kubilius

15:00 | Panel 1 - Space Under Siege: Mapping the Threat to European Space Services

Moderator: MEP Paulius Saudargas (EPP, ITRE)
Speakers:
- David Byrne (Head of Unit, CAP Directorate, European Defence Agency)
- Major Damien Lebrun (Staff Officer, Belgian Defence)
- Claude Schanet (Deputy Chair, Security Accreditation Board)
- Bianca Santi (Research Fellow, European Space Policy Institute)

16:30 | Panel 2 - Is EU Space Governance Adequate to Maintain Space Services in a Crisis?

Moderator: MEP Hélder Sousa Silva (EPP, SEDE)
Speakers:
- Rodrigo da Costa (Executive Director, EU Agency for the Space Programme)
- Stefano Cont (CAP Director, European Defence Agency)
- Luca Del Monte (Head of Commercialisation Department, European Space Agency)
- Christophe Morand (Special Adviser, DG DEFIS, European Commission)