EU seeks to integrate Ukraine into the European satellite communication system

Brussels – Ukraine part of EU satellite communication system: In the end, the European Commission comes to Kyiv’s rescue, with a proposal to start negotiations with the
candidate for accession to the European Union to allow its participation in GOVSATCOM, the European secure satellite communication network consisting of the existing satellite resources of the Member States and private EU operators, part of the broader EU space program.

​The decision taken by the European Commission comes in a context exacerbated by the unreliability of the US. In July of this year, Elon Musk announced the disconnection of Ukraine from Starlink, the satellite communication network owned by SpaceX, the US billionaire’s company. A decision that had effectively prevented the Ukrainian military from tracking Russian drones, and in the face of which the EU had been willing to replace Starlink through the Copernicus satellite observation program and the GOVSATCOM network itself.

Today, the European Commission is putting into practice commitments already made in the spring, when the EU and Ukraine signed an agreement to allow Kyiv to join Copernicus — a program with a civilian basis that is intended to be converted for military use. In essence, that process of Ukraine’s economic, industrial, strategic and defense integration into the EU before the political one continues. “This is a decisive step towards a stronger and more united Europe,” emphasizes Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, convinced that “Ukraine’s participation will strengthen Europe’s secure space capabilities at a critical time.”

Enthusiasm aside, though, the process will require patience and time since the negotiations still have to start from scratch. According to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the Commission will need the Council’s green light, and the Member States will then have to approve the legislative text developed through negotiations.