Sittings · Document

RECOMMENDATION (05271/2026 – C100099/2026 – 2025/0351(NLE)) 2026-07-16

On the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and Iceland laying down the rules for participation of Iceland in the GOVSATCOM component of the Union Space Programme and in the Union Secure Connectivity Programme, and for access to GOVSATCOM services and to the governmental services of the Union Secure Connectivity Programme

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy · Rapporteur: Paolo Borchia

Official HTML ↗ PDF DOCX
✦ In shortFull textProcedure & committee votes
✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 16 Sept 2026

Parliament gives its consent to the conclusion of the agreement between the European Union and Iceland on Iceland's participation in the GOVSATCOM component of the Union Space Programme and in the Union Secure Connectivity Programme. The agreement covers Iceland's access to GOVSATCOM services and to the governmental services of the Union Secure Connectivity Programme. The rapporteur recommends a favourable opinion, citing the extension of secure communications to reliable partners in the European Economic Area and the benefits for governments, security services and commercial broadband connectivity. The rapporteur stresses that the agreements keep exclusive EU ownership of infrastructure assets, give partner countries no decision-making authority or veto rights, and require compliance with EU security standards. The rapporteur notes the agreements entail no expenditure for the Union budget and generate assigned revenue, with Iceland and Norway financing participation through GDP-based contributions, including retroactive contributions.

Committee position. The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy recommends a favourable opinion on the conclusion of the agreements, and Parliament gives its consent to the conclusion of the agreement with Iceland.

Key points

  1. Parliament gives its consent to the conclusion of the agreement with Iceland on participation in GOVSATCOM and the Union Secure Connectivity Programme.
  2. The agreement lays down the rules for Iceland's participation in the GOVSATCOM component of the Union Space Programme and in the Union Secure Connectivity Programme, and for access to GOVSATCOM services and to the governmental services of the Union Secure Connectivity Programme.
  3. GOVSATCOM provides secure, resilient and protected satellite communications for authorised governmental users and critical infrastructures.
  4. IRIS² sets out targets for a European satellite constellation providing ultra-fast, secure and low-latency communication and internet services by 2027.
  5. The agreements with Norway and Iceland are of significant interest to the Union, as both countries are close and trusted partners in the space sector.
  6. Iceland and Norway's involvement as users and through satellite capacities, ground segment facilities and technical infrastructure extends secure communications beyond the Union's borders.
  7. The legal framework provides that the European Union retains exclusive ownership of all tangible and intangible assets associated with the infrastructures developed.
  8. Partner countries acquire neither decision-making authority nor veto rights over the management and future development of the programmes.
  9. Access to the services is subject to compliance with the EU's strict security standards and to supervision by specifically designated competent national authorities.
  10. The agreements do not entail any expenditure for the Union budget; instead, they generate assigned revenue.
  11. Iceland and Norway will finance their participation through financial contributions calculated on the basis of their respective GDP, including a retroactive contribution covering costs incurred by the Union since 2021 under the Space Programme and since 2023 for secure connectivity.
  12. The rapporteur emphasises the importance of compliance with Article 218(10) TFEU, which guarantees that Parliament is fully and promptly informed at every stage of the procedure.

Who is affected

  • Iceland: participates in GOVSATCOM and the Union Secure Connectivity Programme, with access to services and no decision-making authority or veto rights.
  • Norway: participates in GOVSATCOM and IRIS², with access to services and no decision-making authority or veto rights.
  • European Union: retains exclusive ownership of infrastructure assets and receives assigned revenue from the agreements.
  • Authorised governmental users and critical infrastructures: benefit from secure, resilient and protected satellite communications.
  • Key economic sectors such as telecommunications and transport: secure connectivity is particularly important due to Iceland and Norway's strategic location close to the Arctic region.

Figures and deadlines

  • 2027: target year for IRIS² to provide ultra-fast, secure and low-latency access to communication and internet services.
  • 2021: start year for costs effectively incurred by the Union under the Space Programme, covered by retroactive contributions.
  • 2023: start year for costs effectively incurred by the Union for secure connectivity, covered by retroactive contributions.

Legal basis: Article 186 and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a)(v), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text and ¶ links to the paragraph it rests on. Check the text itself before relying on it.