Ukraine received from the EU access to the Copernicus Earth observation space program, which provides satellite data for environmental monitoring, climate change and emergency management.
The agreement on participation in the components of the Copernicus program, signed by Ukraine with the EU in Brussels within the framework of the Ukraine-EU Association Council, will give our country access to this space program on a par with EU member states, with the exception of certain security aspects.
Also, this space agreement provides for the association of Ukraine with several other parts of the program, in particular, Space Weather Events (SWE), which allows monitoring and analysis of phenomena in the space environment that can affect satellites, energy systems and communications. Another important program is “Near-Earth Objects” (NEO), which monitors asteroids and other dangerous objects that could threaten the Earth.
Representatives of Ukraine will have the right to be observers in the committees that make decisions on these programs, but without the right to vote. This cooperation will be an important stage in the development of space technologies in Ukraine, and the European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andryus Kubilyus called this document “the first step” towards Ukraine joining the EU space programs.
