The European Commission is proposing to open talks with Ukraine on its participation in the Governmental Satellite Communications component of the European Union Space programme and the Union Secure Connectivity Programme.
“Ukraine’s participation will reinforce Europe’s secure space capabilities at a critical moment,” said the EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius, adding: “This is a decisive step toward a stronger, more united Europe that can protect its citizens on the ground and in space.”
GOVSATCOM is designed to provide secure and resilient satellite communication capabilities by pooling and sharing existing satellite resources from Member States and private operators. Strengthening collaboration in GOVSATCOM component is the next step of advancing Ukraine’s participation in EU Space Programme. A first step was made in April 2025, when the EU and Ukraine signed an agreement on Ukraine’s participation in Copernicus, Space Weather Events and Near-Earth Objects components of the EU Space Programme.
This initiative adds to the EU’s wider investment in sovereign space capabilities, including IRIS², which will be deployed by 2030 to provide secure, resilient communications across Europe and beyond. It is also in line with the EU’s ongoing support for Ukraine through instruments such as SAFE.
This future agreement will strengthen the resilience of the EU’s connectivity infrastructure by providing additional secure communications capacity in a strategically important region. It also supports broader EU objectives under the Global Gateway strategy and the White Paper on European Defence Readiness 2030. Negotiations mark another step in deepening the EU–Ukraine partnership in areas essential to Europe’s security and stability.
Ukraine’s participation will be confirmed upon the conclusion of an international agreement under Article 218 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
