COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2024/3195

of 18 December 2024

laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the location of the GOVSATCOM Hub

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 establishing the Union Space Programme and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme and repealing Regulations (EU) No 912/2010, (EU) No 1285/2013 and (EU) No 377/2014 and Decision No 541/2014/EU (1), and in particular Article 67(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Article 67(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/696 provides that the ground segment of the European Union Governmental Satellite Communications (GOVSATCOM) component of the Union Space Programme is to include infrastructure necessary to enable the provision of services (2) to GOVSATCOM users, particularly the GOVSATCOM Hub.

(2) The GOVSATCOM Hub is to be the main element of the ground segment; it is to incorporate all central functions to organise and manage demand and supply. The hub is to connect, in a secure manner, the GOVSATCOM users to the providers of GOVSATCOM capacity and services. In order to mitigate risks to service continuity a GOVSATCOM Hub should be implemented in several physical locations.

(3) To attract the best possible bids, the selection of the location for the GOVSATCOM Hub was subject to an open and transparent process. For that purpose, the Commission sent a call for expression of interest to all Member States to host the hub. Mirorring the procedures set in the Union Financial Regulation (3), a committee composed of representatives of the Commission and of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (‘the committee’) has evaluated those proposals on the basis of operational and financial criteria relating to technical requirements of the GOVSATCOM Hubs, security (including the general security requirements referred to in Article 34(2) of Regulation (EU) 2021/696 and set out in Commission Decision C(2023) 3204), risks, the schedule for deployment and costs. That evaluation was intended to achieve the most advantageous price-quality ratio.

(4) Germany, Greece, and Italy proposed to base the GOVSATCOM Hub in, respectively, Cologne, Agios Ioannis and Fucino. Following the evaluation of the proposals and the withdrawal of the Italian proposal, the committee recommended that the sites in Agios Ioannis and Cologne should host the hubs.

(5) The entry into force of this Decision should be on the day following publication in order to ensure the smooth implementation of the Programme; Member States need to be notified as soon as possible to ensure the timely and operational deployment of the infrastructure for the GOVSATCOM Hub for it to be operational in time for GOVSATCOM final operational capability.

(6) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Programme Committee, established by Article 107 of Regulation (EU) 2021/696, in the GOVSATCOM configuration,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The GOVSATCOM Hubs shall be located in Agios Ioannis (Greece) and Cologne (Germany), provided that the Commission and each of the concerned Member States hosting a GOVSATCOM Hub have concluded a hosting agreement in the form of an administrative agreement.

Article 2

This Decision shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the

Official Journal of the European Union

Done at Brussels, 18 December 2024.

For the Commission

The President

Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1)

OJ L 170, 12.5.2021, p. 69

, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/696/oj

(2) Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/1054 establishes the GOVSATCOM service portofolio.

(3) Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September 2024 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (

OJ L, 2024/2509, 26.9.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/2509/oj

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2024/3195/oj

ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)