Space infrastructure is no longer relevant only for exploration and science, but has become a core pillar of European sovereignty, security and economic competitiveness, experts said on Wednesday at the high-level European conference ‘EU Space Days 2026’ in Nicosia.
The discussion took place during the second day of the conference, co-organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) and the Cyprus Space Office of the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, under the auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The panel, titled ‘Space Infrastructure in EU Member States’, highlighted how Earth Observation systems, satellite navigation, secure connectivity and access-to-space capabilities underpin the European Union’s ability to make sovereign decisions in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.
Moderating the discussion, the Head of the Office of the Executive Director and Head of Communications at the EU Agency for the Space Programme, Christina Giannopapa, said space infrastructure is now embedded in everyday life and central to Europe’s strategic autonomy.
‘Space is no longer important only because of exploration and science’, she said. ‘It is also a critical infrastructure for our society, our economy, and our safety and security.’
The discussion focused on how EU Member States can develop sustainable space infrastructure, particularly in the context of high costs and long investment cycles.
The Science and Education Officer at the Portuguese Space Agency, Duarte Cota, said sustainability must be understood in broader terms than financial return alone, especially in the current geopolitical context.
He pointed to Portugal’s efforts to develop a spaceport in the Azores region as part of a wider European network of access-to-space ‘nodes’, arguing that future infrastructure must be flexible, interoperable and multipurpose.
‘These small ecosystems need to be integrated into European networks of space access’, Cota said, adding that cooperation with the defence sector will also become increasingly relevant in future space architectures.
From Cyprus’ perspective, the Head of Satellite Services at CYTA, Dr. Sotiris Alexandrou, stressed the importance of European programmes in building critical mass and enabling participation in the global space market.
‘Space is an expensive activity’, he said. ‘Collaboration is the key, especially for smaller countries.’
He added that EU support allows Member States to develop foundational capabilities that can later evolve into commercial services, stressing that trust and customer relationships are essential for long-term competitiveness.
‘As you build capabilities, you build your customer base. That is the best marketing tool you can have’, he said.
At the same time, the Technical Director at Spaceopal company, Emiliano Agosta, addressed governance challenges in European space programmes, arguing that effective governance depends on strategy, operational coordination and technological evolution working in parallel.
‘Governance only works when there is a clear strategy and strong interaction between all actors’, he said. ‘But we must also understand that technological evolution is an autonomous process, it will happen regardless of us.’
Further, the Managing Director of the Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence, Professor Diofantos Hadjimitsits, highlighted how Earth Observation investments can translate into economic value and new services.
‘When we invest in infrastructure, we need to understand how we convert that investment into value, into services, applications and cash flow’, he said.
He also stressed the importance of European initiatives such as Copernicus in reducing dependency on non-European data sources.
The panel further examined the link between technical systems and European sovereignty. Agosta noted that systems such as Galileo are central to Europe’s strategic autonomy.
‘Without systems that work continuously and reliably, there is no strategic sovereignty’, he said.
He added that sovereignty also depends on Europe owning not only infrastructure, but also algorithms and software, particularly in the context of artificial intelligence and emerging digital regulation.
‘Europe must own the layers, not only the satellites, but also the software and the intelligence behind them’, he concluded.