University of Reading
UREAD
The University of Reading was established in 1892, received its Royal Charter in 1926 and has developed into a leading force in British and international higher education.
ID: 231143619810-60
Lobbying Activity
Response to EU Space Law: Union law for safe, secure and sustainable space activities
6 Nov 2025
Space4Climate is a non-commercial UK membership organisation with 90 members from the satellite Earth Observation (EO) community. They are drawn from academia, policy and industry: www.Space4Climate.com. We respect the aims of the EU Space Act but urge consideration to protect the very many successful collaborative relationships between the UK and European space sectors and the future potential of these. Impacts on UK Earth Observation services and product suppliers UK expertise and capabilities in satellite Earth Observation from mission conception to instrument design, construction, ground segment operations, data processing and analysis, climate research, climate decision-support platforms and climate applications is highly valued in Europe. There are numerous collaborations, past, current and future. As it stands, Space4Climate members, and the whole UK satellite Earth Observation community, will be directly affected by the proposed Act. The Act must avoid having a detrimental effect on the competitiveness of UK and European businesses and the practical and financial appeal of UK-European collaborations with businesses, universities, research entities and funders. SMEs It is essential that the Act delivers clear, proportionate and workable rules to be applied to SMEs, start-ups, entrepreneurial innovations and entities that are scaling-up. A way to ensure this is to include them in the drafting. Compliance processes These must be made simple and rapid as possible. Cumbersome compliance application processes would add higher administrative costs and slower market entry, further barriers to the innovation and take-up of EO data applications. European Space Agency, EUMETSAT, ECMWF and Copernicus collaborations UK industries, as well as academic institutions, are much in demand for collaboration on ESA, EUMETSAT, and Copernicus projects, and it is essential that no barriers are created through the EU Space Act. Scientific research collaboration UK academic access to EO data sourced via European satellites and collaborative activities, must be protected. Protecting academic access is not just about science - it underpins innovation, informs climate policy and supports industries that depend on cutting-edge EO applications. Dual purpose satellites Clarity here is essential as for sustainability and funding, there is a trend towards dual purpose missions (EO and defence/security). Conclusion We ask the European Commission to consult closely and frequently with UK EO community and space sector representatives to safeguard the profitable relationships between the UK and EU member states, plus the European Space Agency, EUMETSAT, ECMWF and Copernicus programmes, across academia, industry and policy and to avoid any negative impacts. Space4Climate is happy to support in this. We recommend investment in carefully planned and co-designed tailored information campaigns for investors, to avoid any lack of confidence in collaborative projects and commercial enterprises. We recommend that an information campaign is also co-designed for the academic and research communities. We support moves to carefully plan implementation in regard to SMEs, start-ups and micro enterprises. We call for a clear and free-to-access support service in the lead up to and post implement of the EU Space Act tailored to non-member countries. Space4Climate stands ready to support in any way we can on behalf of our members.
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