Briefing April 2017

Securing the Copernicus programme Why EU earth observation matters

SUMMARY The Copernicus programme is a user-driven programme which provides six free-of- charge operational services (atmosphere monitoring, marine environment monitoring, land monitoring, climate change, emergency management and security) to EU, national, and regional institutions, as well as to the private sector. The programme builds on the initiative on global monitoring for environment and security launched in 2001. It aims at filling the gaps in European earth observation capacities. Data is provided from space infrastructures, particularly the sentinel missions developed under the programme, and in situ infrastructure supported by the Member States. Copernicus services are mainly operated by European Union (EU) agencies. Copernicus requires a high level of continuity in data and service provision. A strong political commitment at EU level is required to provide adequate funding for the development of the operational earth observation missions and services. The EU – under the framework programme for research and operational programmes – and the European Space Agency (ESA) have invested more than €7 billion in Copernicus since 2002. By the end of 2017, four of the six sentinel missions should be fully deployed and the last of the six services should become fully operational. As Copernicus reaches its full operational stage, the focus of the programme is shifting towards the uptake of the services and the development of a downstream sector that would provide additional commercial services to the users. This aspect is a key priority of the space strategy adopted by the European Commission in October 2016. The development of the downstream sector is dependent on the long-term continuity of service, to be ensured by improved governance of the programme and renewed long- term political and financial commitments for the next EU budgetary period.

In this briefing:  Copernicus programme  Copernicus definition phase  Copernicus operational phase  Evolutions and challenges  Main references

EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service Author: Vincent Reillon Members' Research Service PE 599.407 EN EPRS Securing the Copernicus programme

Copernicus programme Objectives and scope Copernicus is a civil programme of the European Union (EU) for earth observation (EO) and monitoring. Established in 2014, it continues global monitoring for environment and security (GMES) initiative activities that started in 2001. The Regulation establishing Copernicus mentions five objectives for the programme:  monitor the earth to support environmental protection and civil protection and civil security efforts;  maximise socio-economic benefits by promoting EO use in services;  foster development of a competitive European space and services industry;  ensure autonomous access to environmental knowledge and key technologies for EO;  support and contribute to European policies and foster global initiatives. The services offered by the programme can be used in a large range of domains, such as agriculture, forestry and fisheries, energy, public health, transport and urban planning. They cover six thematic areas: atmosphere monitoring, marine environment monitoring, land monitoring, climate change, emergency management and security (see Table 1). Table 1 – Copernicus services Service Main focus Operator Operational Atmosphere Air quality, ozone layer, emissions and surface ECMWF July 2015 monitoring fluxes, solar radiation, climate forcing Marine environment Marine safety, coastal environment, marine Mercator May 2015 monitoring resources, weather and climate Ocean Land monitoring Land cover, use and cover-use changes, JRC - EEA 2012 vegetation state, water cycle Climate change Climate variables, re-analyses and projections, ECMWF 2017 multi-model seasonal forecasts Emergency Risk assessments of floods and forest fires, JRC April 2012 management impact of natural and man-made disasters Security Border surveillance, maritime surveillance, Frontex - 2015 – support for EU external action EMSA – Early 2016 EU SatCen Data source: Copernicus website. ECMWF: European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts; JRC: Joint Research Centre; EEA: European Environmental Agency; EMSA: European Maritime Safety Agency; Frontex: European Border and Coast Guard Agency; EU SatCen: EU Satellite Centre. Mercator Ocean is a French private company. Components of the programme and Copernicus services The Copernicus programme is organised in three components (see Figure 1):  a space component ensuring sustainable space borne observations;1  an in situ component ensuring coordinated access to observations from airborne, seaborne, and ground based installations;  a service component ensuring delivery of information in the thematic areas. The space component consists of dedicated missions (the sentinels), funded by and operated under the programme. It complements the data produced by contributing missions developed and financed mainly by EU Member States.2 This component is coordinated by the European Space Agency (ESA) and operated by ESA and Eumetsat.3 The in situ component consists of infrastructures operated mainly at national and regional levels within EU Member States and is coordinated by the European Environmental Agency (EEA).

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The service component integrates the data provided by the other two components to deliver the services.4 Raw data is transformed into elaborated operational services using tools, models and methods developed under the programme over the last 15 years. This is done mainly by EU agencies under delegation agreement or contractual arrangements. Figure 1 – Organisation of Copernicus and key challenges of the programme

Data source: EPRS, based on European Commission documents.

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Key characteristics of the programme User-driven programme Copernicus is a user-driven programme. Users are involved in the services’ requirements definition and validation. Copernicus core users are the EU institutions and bodies, as well as European, national, regional or local authorities active in the areas covered by the services. Research organisations, commercial and private users, non-governmental and international organisations are additional users. Continuity of service The programme’s value rests on continuity of service over long periods (several decades) and ensuring data and service availability, reliability, and quality. Discontinuity in data and services would compromise the reliability of services such as the emergency service. It would also render commercial services unavailable, making private investment in applications riskier. Ensuring the continuity of service places specific conditions on the robustness, maintenance and replacement of space and in situ infrastructures, and on the overall long-term funding and governance of the programme. Continuity is essential to fostering the development of a private downstream sector producing commercial applications based Copernicus data and services uptake. Open and free data and services Data collected and services produced under the programme are disseminated on a full, open, and free-of-charge basis. Limitations may apply due to the licensing conditions of third-party data or to protect the EU and its Member States’ security interests. International aspects Copernicus is Europe’s main contribution to the global earth observation system of systems (GEOSS), an international programme of the Group on Earth Observation. GEOSS integrates EO observing systems at the global level to strengthen monitoring of the earth and shares the data produced on a dedicated portal. GEOSS also promotes the definition of common standards to allow data interoperability. Since 2007, Copernicus has also been a key programme for cooperation between the EU and Africa to support sustainable management of natural resources. Copernicus definition phase First initiatives in Europe on earth observation (1970s -1998) As early as 1979, a European Parliament resolution stressed the importance of earth observation capabilities to support key Community policies.5 In 1988, the first European Commission communication on space mentioned EO as one of three main areas for space exploitation, although 'still in its infancy'. A need existed to develop both space and ground EO infrastructures and provide good continuity of service, 'an essential precondition for the development of applications'. The Commission concluded it was 'high time that European efforts in this area GMES and the JRC were given a new dimension and coherence'. The same year, the European Commission The European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) has been involved in the field of earth Joint Research Centre (JRC) began its observation since 1988, with the creation of the involvement in EO with the programme on Space Applications Institute. The JRC plays a role in monitoring agricultural resources (MARS). Copernicus, being involved in the production of the A 1991 expert report for the Commission land and emergency services and providing the recalled that EO, a key space sector for the Commission with tailor-made services based on European Community, suffered from data from the space and in situ components.

Members' Research Service Page 4 of 12 EPRS Securing the Copernicus programme significant limitations. The experts recommended that the Commission establish a 'European earth observation data network' and fund a European satellite programme for EO. The European Parliament supported these conclusions in a resolution in October 1991. The first assessment report of the International Panel on Climate Change (in 1990), stressed the importance of EO programmes. In response, in November 1991, the ESA Council adopted a resolution regarding its programmes for EO to contribute to the implementation of a coherent and long-term European EO policy, in collaboration with national and European bodies. The Commission recalled the importance of EO sector in its 1992 communication on space.6 It planned actions regarding the definition of a European strategy, the development of the space segment under the framework programme (FP) for research, and actions to create a decentralised network for space data management and access.7 The Parliament supported these measures in 1994. In 1995, an ESA Council resolution welcomed the cooperation taking place between the ESA, Eumetsat and the Commission on establishing a European policy for EO, and invited all European actors to further define their respective roles and responsibilities in the sector. In 1997, the Council of the European Union welcomed the Commission’s initiatives to elaborate concrete action plans for applications in EO and environmental monitoring. In a resolution adopted in 1998, the Parliament reiterated 'the need for a European policy to promote the use of EO data'. It called for public investment, noting that 'the private sector is not able to finance all the European infrastructure required'. Until then, EO operational missions were limited to the field of meteorology: Meteosat satellites have been developed by ESA since 1977 and operated by Eumetsat since 1995.8 During the 1990s, ESA implemented its long-term European space plan adopted in 1985, including the preparation of a 'substantial contribution of space and ground techniques to earth observation science and applications.' The European remote-sensing satellite programme (ERS-1) was launched in 1991, and its follow-on mission (ERS-2), discussed in 1987, was launched in 1995. These scientific EO missions did not fulfil the requirements needed to provide operational service (see box). Nevertheless, they represented the state-of-the-art of data production in EO and could be used to help users define their needs in terms of EO services.

From scientific earth observation missions to operational earth observation missions Scientific EO missions aim to provide data to help researchers answer scientific questions regarding the functioning of the earth system. These missions usually include the development of new instrumentation. They are limited in time and in the frequency regarding the refreshment of data (such as one measurement every two to three days on a given spot on earth). They can tolerate limited malfunction that creates missing data in the datasets. Operational EO missions aim to provide specific services which require continuity and high quality in the data produced. These missions are developed in the long-term, include update and replacement of the infrastructures, cannot tolerate malfunction and missing data in the datasets, and often require a high frequency of data refreshment (such as one measurement a day). They are usually based on robust technologies and instrumentation already tested in space. Therefore, they are developed based on the heritage of previous scientific missions. Moving from the implementation of scientific missions to the implementation of operational missions to provide EO services requires strong political support with long-term funding commitment and renewed governance to ensure continuity of operations.

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Creating political support for establishing the GMES initiative (1998-2001) In May 1998, all key European actors met in Baveno, Italy, and produced a manifesto calling for an initiative on global monitoring for environmental security to support the commitments made under the Kyoto protocol adopted in 1997. This manifesto is the cornerstone on which the Copernicus programme was established. In June 1998, the Council and ESA Council adopted a joint resolution to reinforce synergies between EU institutions and the agency. In this context, the Commission described the contours of a European global observatory system, filling the gaps in existing European observation system capacity and ensuring coordinated datasets collection in the long-term. The following year, in May 1999, the ESA Council ESA living planet programme adopted a resolution launching the 'living planet' programme, implementing ESA strategy for earth The 2015 ESA EO science strategy confirmed ESA support for the 'living planet' observation. The programme aimed at providing programme. Some of the eight current earth Europe with an independent capacity in EO, and explorer missions contribute to Copernicus. was based on two tracks: 'earth explorers' for These missions could become operational scientific EO missions; and 'earth watch' to deliver missions to be included in the sentinels. ESA data to be used in operational EO applications.The Council renewed its funding for EO explorer element was to continue European effort programmes in 2016, confirming the ESA role in EO beyond the deployment of the Envisat as a risk-taker, supporting research and mission (the successor to ERS missions, launched in innovation in the field. 2002). While this part of the programme was successful, the development of an earth watch element beyond meteorology was not, because of the failure to develop proper private sector involvement and create a market in EO applications. The European Parliament called on the Commission to draw up a proposal for a European EO plan and an environmental monitoring service, using 'living planet' as a basis, in May 2000. In its 2000 communication on Europe and space, the European Commission extended the earth observation concept by adding civil security aspects, creating the idea of global monitoring for environment and security (GMES). It committed 'to prepare the ground for a political initiative for GMES'. The initiative could be organised under a public-private partnership (PPP), similar to that envisaged for the global satellite navigation system Galileo.9 GMES could streamline ESA and Member States' EO initiatives and complement them with new infrastructures, resulting in a more coherent approach for space-based observation. The GMES initiative was supported by the ESA Council in November 2000 and by the Council of the EU in December 2000. Both called for the ESA and the Commission to present a proposal for the GMES initiative. In Goteborg in June 2001, the European Council endorsed the European Union strategy for sustainable development proposed by the Commission. This included the objective to establish 'by 2008, a European capacity for global monitoring of environment and security', providing the strong political support needed to establish the GMES initiative. GMES initial period: assessing capabilities and defining user requirements (2001-2003) The Commission and the ESA presented a joint document describing a European approach for a GMES initiative in June 2001.10 The initiative would provide coordination at European level between service providers and users, and establish an institutional framework ensuring the long-term supply of the services. EO capacities existed at national or intergovernmental level, but lacked overall coherence. The GMES initiative

Members' Research Service Page 6 of 12 EPRS Securing the Copernicus programme would guarantee the coherence and efficiency of the data collected, the continuity of service, and Europe's autonomy and independent capability. Based on this first sketch, the Commission adopted an action plan for the initial period of the GMES initiative (2001-2003) in October 2001. The objectives under this period were: to assess the current capabilities and understand what was necessary to complete them; to consolidate the user requirements; and to implement the planned activities offering an evolutionary approach for GMES. A GMES steering committee including participants from the Commission, the ESA, national space agencies, the EEA and the Member States, would provide guidance. A GMES forum would support stakeholders’ and potential users’ involvement. The initiative would be supported financially by the framework programme for research and by the ESA. The Council adopted this action plan in November 2001 to achieve, by 2008, an operational and autonomous European capability for GMES. The 2003 white paper on a European space policy noted the progress made on GMES and identified priorities to develop services in land management, ocean monitoring, atmosphere monitoring, water resources, risk management and humanitarian aid and security policies. The European Parliament endorsed these priorities in January 2004. The final report on the initial period of GMES was published in February 2004. It described the information needs regarding the environmental, security and global dimensions, and analysed the limitations and challenges of the initiative (see Figure 1). Regarding implementation, the report noted that the scientific EO systems in place were unable to guarantee the continuity of service required; that in situ observation systems' development was considered a critical limiting factor; and that data integration and information management was limited regarding access to information, data inter- operability, and modelling capacities to provide services. The evaluation invited a review of the GMES governance and funding mechanisms to ensure its long-term sustainability. GMES implementation period: developing the three components (2004-2008) Following the evaluation of the initial period, the Commission adopted its GMES action plan for the development and implementation phase (2004-2008) in February 2004. The action plan aimed at achieving an initial set of GMES services by 2008. It focused on the development and upgrading of the space and in situ observing systems, and on building capacities to integrate the data. Security aspects needed The INSPIRE Directive to be strengthened. The EU and ESA would provide funding, but a long-term funding strategy and business The Directive on the Infrastructure for spatial information in Europe (INSPIRE) plan were needed beyond 2006. In May 2005, a was adopted in 2007. INSPIRE aims to European Commission communication on the European create an EU spatial data infrastructure by space policy recognised GMES as the second EU flagship ensuring the interoperability of the spatial initiative in space, after Galileo. GMES was also to benefit data collected in the EU and promoting from, and contribute to, the INSPIRE Directive (see box). access to these data (such as on ground In November 2005, a Commission communication on the water, transport, population or land use). INSPIRE will be fully implemented by 2021. implementation of GMES set the goal of building a strong user base for GMES services. Three topics were selected for initial services: emergency response, land monitoring, and marine services. No sustainable solution was found for funding. The same month, the Space Council (a joint EU-ESA ministerial council) confirmed ‘the importance of maintaining a European autonomous earth observation capacity’. It validated the three priority areas proposed by the Commission, asked the EU institutions to explore additional possibilities for funding beyond FP7, and requested progress on the long-term governance of GMES.

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Until then, the GMES initiative had been developed and funded under a research perspective by the FP and the ESA. This had allowed it to identify the gaps in existing infrastructures and to develop the tools and methodologies to establish the services. However, to reach an operational phase, changes in the governance and the funding mechanisms of GMES were needed. The space component could not rely on scientific EO missions alone; operational EO missions development was required. Given the absence of an adequate funding stream on the Commission side,11 the ESA Council decided in December 2005 to begin funding and implementing a dedicated GMES space component (GSC), also known as the sentinels (see Table 2).12 Table 2 – Dedicated Copernicus space component missions: the sentinel satellites Family Use Type Operational 1A - April 2014 Sentinel-1 Radar imagery for land and ocean services Satellites 1B - April 2016 2A - June 2015 Sentinel-2 Optical imagery for land services Satellites 2B - March 2017 Optical, radar and altimetry data for marine 3A - February 2016 Sentinel-3 Satellites and land services 3B - 2017 Sentinel-4 Atmospheric composition monitoring Payload 2019 5P- Satellite 5P - 2017 Sentinel-5 Atmospheric composition monitoring 5 - Payload 2020 Sentinel-6 High accuracy altimetry Satellite 2020 Data source: ESA. Sentinels 1, 2 and 3 include two satellites (A and B) to provide a higher frequency of data provided. The updating of these satellites (C and D) is under development. Sentinels 4 and 5 are payloads to be included in the third generation of Meteosat satellites. To cover a data gap between the end of Envisat and the launch of sentinel 5 payload, a precursor satellite (5P) will be launched in 2017. Sentinel 6 is the integration into Copernicus of the next generation of the Franco-American Jason satellites (Jason CS). The evolution of the different GMES components was debated in April 2006 under the Graz dialogue on GMES service development, and by the European space policy adopted by the Commission a year later. The Space Council also emphasised key aspects for GMES in May 2007, and approved the Commission proposal to launch preparatory action to support the GMES operational phase. The same month, the Munich roadmap, adopted under the German presidency, stated that 'GMES governance scheme must provide the management, financial and programmatic instruments necessary to guarantee long-term sustainability of GMES service operations'. Copernicus operational phase GMES pre-operational phase: establishing the first services (2008-2010) The September 2008 progress report on European space policy introduced the GMES pre- operational phase (2008-2010). It noted that the implementation of the GSC was under way, but that the issue of GMES governance remained unaddressed. The Space Council highlighted again that the continuity of GMES services had to be guaranteed by the EU, and identified the possibility GMES preparatory actions of establishing a GMES programme securing the continuity Between 2008 and 2010, five preparatory of GMES services and data. The introduction of actions (PAs) were launched to establish preparatory actions (PAs) would pave the way for future GMES pre-operational services on land EU funding under such a programme. monitoring and emergency management, and to support the take-up of services by The Commission communication on GMES of users in sea ice monitoring and air quality November 2008 proposed an action plan developing a monitoring. The total budget for these PAs GMES programme in response to the Space Council was €9.2 million. request. The EU contribution under the new multi-annual

Members' Research Service Page 8 of 12 EPRS Securing the Copernicus programme financial framework (MFF) beyond 2014 should sustain the operations of GMES. In terms of governance, the Commission would provide the overall coordination of the programme. The ESA would coordinate the space component and the EEA the in situ component, development of which was a Member State responsibility. The implementation and coordination of the services would be delegated to different EU bodies and agencies. Initial services were not yet fully and permanently available and the operational stage of GMES was delayed until 2011. This answered the concerns voiced in a Parliament resolution regarding the need to clarify the governance, legal framework and funding of the GMES initiative.13 The Council stressed that the GMES services were a public good and should be openly accessible to all users in December 2008. It emphasised that continuity must be guaranteed by the EU with long-term funding. It welcomed the Commission proposal and reaffirmed the need to stimulate the downstream sector. The Space Council noted the need to define a GMES data policy and clarify the ownership of sentinels in May 2009. In the following October, the Commission's communication on the GMES space component suggested that the Commission should be the owner of the space infrastructure on behalf of the Union and provide full and open access to the data produced by the sentinels. The first satellites were planned for launch in 2012 and the budget for the space component was estimated at €4 billion for 2014-2020. In 2009, a report requested by the Industry, Research Shared Environment Information System (SEIS) and Energy Committee (ITRE) on GMES governance and financing noted that the delays and cost overruns In February 2008, the Commission adopted a communication 'Towards a shared so far were due to: unclear programme tasks; environmental information system' (SEIS) with insufficient political support; inadequately defined the EEA. The objective is to store environmental roles; and unclear plans for revenue generation. data in the EU in interconnected and compatible There was also insufficient linkage from the users to electronic databases, allowing open and the services. A longer-term financing agreement transparent access to the data. Copernicus under a single budget line would contribute to stable contributes to SEIS. working conditions for the initiative. GMES initial operations: establishing a GMES programme (2011-2013) The regulation of the GMES programme was adopted in September 2010 for the period 2011-2013 with a budget of €107 million to support the development of the services in the six areas.14 The regulation introduced the organisational arrangements proposed by the Commission in November 2008, with the Commission ensuring the coordination, assisted by a GMES committee representing the Member States, and a user forum. In November 2010, the Space Council again urged the Commission to solve the issue of space infrastructure ownership, to develop 'the details of the GMES data/information policy as soon as possible' and to establish long-term financing for GMES post-2013. A stronger focus was made on climate change services and on how to meet the specific needs of security policies regarding maritime surveillance, border control and support for EU external actions.15 The 2011 Commission communication on a space strategy for Europe confirmed the development of GMES from a research and development (R&D) initiative to an operational programme. In May 2011, the Council noted that funding for GMES should be included in the next MFF, and that data policy should be based on full and open access. While the Commission communication on GMES post-2014 agreed on this latter point, it proposed funding the GMES programme outside the MFF under a specific intergovernmental fund.16 The proposed funding budget for 2014-2020 was over

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€5.8 billion.17 Although gaps persisted in existing capabilities, and harmonisation and standardisation of the geospatial information remained a major challenge, the full operational capacity of GMES was planned for 2014. However, the Parliament noted in a resolution on the space strategy adopted in January 2012 that the GMES programme was at risk if its budget was not included in the MFF. It urged the Commission to integrate the GMES programme within the MFF and to put forward a proposal on the programme's governance. This position was renewed a month later in a separate resolution regarding the GMES programme stating that a fund was not a viable option to ensure sustainability of the programme. Nevertheless, the Commission adopted a communication in May 2012, with the main elements of a draft to establish an intergovernmental fund for the GMES programme in annex. In December 2012, the Commission announced that the programme had been renamed 'Copernicus'. Copernicus programme: reaching full operations (2014-2020) In February 2013, the European Council included the Copernicus programme within the MFF 2014-2020, with a budget of €4.3 billion (€3.8 billion in 2011 prices).18 This decision confirmed the rejection of an intergovernmental fund for Copernicus. In May 2013, the Commission adopted its proposal to establish the Copernicus programme mentioning that the stakeholders' consultation had highlighted that 'uninterrupted and guaranteed availability' of the services is the cornerstone for the programme's success. An important milestone was reached in July 2013, when the Commission adopted a delegated act providing full and open access to information produced by the Copernicus services and to the data collected. It also established the criteria for restricting access to information and data and the conditions for registration of Copernicus users. The Regulation establishing the Copernicus programme was adopted in April 2014, at the time the first sentinel satellite was launched. It stresses the fact that Copernicus is a user- driven programme. The regulation confirms that the Commission is 'the owner of all tangible and intangible assets created or developed under Copernicus', and has overall responsibility for the programme. The Copernicus Committee can meet in a specific configuration as a security board and establish the user forum as a working group. The programme can support activities for the uptake of data and information and is open to the participation of third countries. Almost 80 % of the budget of the programme (€3.4 billion) is dedicated to the implementation of the space component, now fully funded by the Union. Evolutions and challenges Outcomes of the programme In the last 20 years, the Copernicus programme has changed the landscape of EO in Europe. It has built on the outcomes of scientific missions to design and implement operational missions to guarantee state-of-the-art global EO monitoring capacities for Europe. It has also financed R&D projects to turn the data and information produced into leading EO services that can be used for a wide range of applications. By the end of 2017, Copernicus six services should be fully operational, and the first three sentinels should be fully deployed.19 An incomplete estimation of the funds invested by the EU and ESA in Copernicus’ since 2002 reaches a total of €7 billion with about €5.3 billion for the development of the sentinels (see Table 3).20 Copernicus also had the effect of streamlining efforts in EO at the European level, avoiding duplications. The ex-post evaluation of the PAs and GMES initial programme

Members' Research Service Page 10 of 12 EPRS Securing the Copernicus programme confirmed the EU added value of Copernicus, acknowledging that no single EU country could have implemented such a programme. Copernicus also guarantees: a higher level of continuity of service; a full-scale, permanent screen of sensors in space; harmonised data and technology; and free and open access that reduces the costs for the users. Table 3 – Estimated Copernicus budget from EU and ESA since 2002 (in million €)

Years 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

FP6 FP7 Horizon 2020 EU - FP R&D - 94 R&D - 370 GSC - 715 R&D - 150 EU - Operational PAs GIO Copernicus programmes 9.2 107 4291 (3400 for GSC) Services GSC - 1 GSC - 2 GSC - 3 Follow-up ESA 103 256 500 405 90 Data source: ESA, Commission documents and ex-post evaluations of GMES in FP6 and FP7. Uptake and downstream sector The ex-post evaluation mentioned that one of the key issues still to be addressed was the development of the downstream sector. As Copernicus services were almost fully operational and targeted at the EU level, the uptake of these free data and services by the private sector could allow for the development of additional commercial services more targeted to the national, regional or local level. These aspects were reflected in Council conclusions in May 2016 and in a resolution adopted by the European Parliament in June 2016. The uptake of space services and data is a priority of the space strategy for Europe adopted by the Commission in October 2016. Governance Similarly to the ex-post evaluation of the GMES programme, European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) experts noted the need to improve coordination between the Copernicus services and to better integrate users into the Copernicus programme. ESPI experts suggested setting up a Copernicus task force providing stronger user uptake, better stakeholder information and stronger political ownership of the programme. Long-term sustainability The same ESPI report noted that the development and the viability of the downstream EO sector were dependant on the sustainability of the programme and long-term funding commitments. The ex-post evaluation similarly stressed the need to create certainty around the longer-term plans and funding for the services. This aspect, mentioned continuously during the development of the programme, implies the need to confirm the political and financial support in the coming years, to maintain, update and replace the existing infrastructures and to continue the provision of services. In December 2016, the ESA Council renewed its commitment to fund scientific innovative projects for EO that could lead to improvements in the data provisions for the services. On the EU side, commitment will be made with the renewal of the Copernicus programme under the next MFF, and its associated budget is expected to be decided in the years ahead. Main references Policy Department A: Economic and Scientific Policy, Directorate General for Internal Policies, The EU Programme for Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES): governance and financing, European Parliament, 2009.

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Reillon, V., European space policy, EPRS, European Parliament, January 2017. Reillon, V. and Pawlak, P., EU space policy: Industry, security and defence, EPRS, European Parliament, June 2016. Endnotes 1 Copernicus is not a space programme per se. It is an earth observation and monitoring programme that includes a space component. 2 About 40 ESA, national and intergovernmental space missions produce space data that is either freely accessible or bought, to contribute to Copernicus services. 3 Eumetsat is an intergovernmental organisation with 30 member states: all EU Member States except Malta and Cyprus; Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Turkey. It operates meteorological satellites and provide services in this field. 4 The service component also use third-party data and information created outside the scope of the programme, such as socio-economic data or data from international programmes. 5 The support of the Parliament for EO activities was renewed in resolutions adopted in 1981 and 1987. 6 The Commission listed key challenges: an insufficient user-input in EO programmes; the inadequate ground infrastructure to meet data supply and demand; the technical obstacles to operational data interpretation; the uncertainty over the conditions of access to data; and the lack of an overall European strategy. 7 The GMES initiative was supported by FP5 (1998-2002), FP6 (2002-2006) and FP7 (2007-2013). 8 The first generation Meteosat satellites (seven units) were launched from 1977 to 1993; the second generation (four units) from 1997 to 2015. Meteosat third generation will include six satellites launched from 2019. The Eumetsat fleet also includes five polar (Metop and Eumetsat polar system), and three marine (Jason) satellites. 9 This PPP approach for Galileo ultimately failed in 2007. Using the PPP approach for GMES was mentioned several times between 2000 and 2012, but was never implemented, the funding therefore remained public (EU and ESA). 10 Commission Staff Working Paper SEC(2001) 993 of 19 June 2001. 11 GMES was an initiative that did not benefit from a specific programme in the EU budget. Funding could only be provided under the framework programme for research, which was inadequate for operational programme funding. 12 In 2001, ESA had begun to fund studies to define the GSC and the GMES services. The development of satellite constellations already required 10 to 15 years, and the decision to begin funding the GSC under the ESA was also motivated by the objective of having operational services sooner than if waiting for funding from the EU. 13 In this resolution, the Parliament refers to the GMES initiative as 'Copernicus'. 14 The original Commission proposal focussed on the development of only two services already supported by preparatory actions: emergency response services and land monitoring services. 15 These requests were renewed by the Space Council at its eighth meeting in December 2011. 16 The Commission communication for the 2014-2020 MMF did not include the GMES programme within the MFF. 17 The budget invested by the EU and ESA since the beginning of the initiative was estimated at €3.2 billion at that time. 18 The proposed programme budget represented a €2 billion cut from the budget proposed for the fund in 2011. 19 Delays in reaching the operational phase of the security and climate change services can be explained by the fact that limited scientific missions had been developed in these fields and that these services required a new approach regarding the use and integration of the data and information produced by the space and in situ infrastructures. 20 This estimation does not include the funding provided by the EU under FP5. It is limited to the budget for the sentinels, to assess additional data and the research activities to develop the services. Disclaimer and Copyright The content of this document is the sole responsibility of the author and any opinions expressed therein do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament. It is addressed to the Members and staff of the EP for their parliamentary work. Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorised, provided the source is acknowledged and the European Parliament is given prior notice and sent a copy. © European Union, 2017. Photo credits: © timothyh / Fotolia. [email protected] http://www.eprs.ep.parl.union.eu (intranet) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank (internet) http://epthinktank.eu (blog)

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