The Regulation, proposed by the Commission in February 2022, will establish a new Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS), which will provide enhanced satellite-based communication capacity to governmental users, businesses and EU citizens.

The new network of satellites will be active from 2024. The EU parliament says that the new network will provide secure government communications in a world where cyber security threats are becoming increasingly problematic, especially since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Not only will the satellites reinforce the EU’s strategic autonomy and security, but they will also improve internet connectivity for citizens, especially in hard-to-reach areas.

The EU adopted the text after strengthening the system’s environmental and sustainability provisions, preventing space debris, light pollution and providing carbon footprint compensation to offset the emissions from its operation.

The text will now have to be formally adopted by the Council before being published in the Official Journal and passing into law. To read the EU Parliament’s press release in full, click here.