(fra kommisjonsbeslutningen)

(1) Pursuant to Article 57 of Regulation (EU) 2021/696, any Member State can participate in the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) partnership provided that it fulfils the criteria set out in that Article.

(2) The rules and procedures on the participation of Member States in the SST sub-component, the establishment of the SST partnership and the development of initial key performance indicators are set out in Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1245 (2). Fifteen Member States were found compliant with the criteria for participation laid down in Regulation (EU) 2021/696 as well as with the individual and collective conditions laid down in Annex I to Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1245. Those Member States designated constituting national entities which, collectively, constitute the SST partnership, and signed, on 11 November 2022, the Space Surveillance and Tracking Partnership Agreement (the ‘SST Partnership Agreement’), which lays down the rules and mechanisms for their cooperation. They also signed, on 11 July 2023, Implementing Arrangements with the SST Front Desk related to the space surveillance and tracking cooperation (the ‘Implementing Arrangements’) and, on 13 July 2023, the Agreement on rights and obligations in relation to intellectual property rights (the ‘IPR Agreement’).

(3) Other Member States have expressed interest in participating in the SST partnership. The Commission therefore asked, on 10 October 2024, the Programme committee in Space Situational Awareness (SSA) configuration to make their interest in participating in the SST partnership known by 9 December 2024. Several of those Member States declared their interest in participating in the SST partnership.

(4) To allow other Member States to participate in the SST partnership, it is necessary to lay down further rules for the submission of their applications and for the verification of their compliance with the criteria for participation laid down in Regulation (EU) 2021/696 as specified by the individual conditions laid down in Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1245. In order to prepare their application and to make sure that their contribution to the SST partnership takes sufficiently account of, and builds on, the achievements made by the SST partnership so far, those other Member States should have access to existing agreements and arrangements and, if necessary, any other documents that are accessible to SST partnership members.

(5) Where Member States propose sensors for the SST partnership, an architecture study, as referred to under the collective conditions laid down in Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1245, should be required to demonstrate the added value of those sensors to the existing SST partnership.

(6) To allow applicant Member States to participate in the next Grant Agreement to be concluded between the SST partnership and the Commission before the publication of the next grant between Q4 2025 and Q1 2026, a deadline should be provided for the applicant Member States to submit their applications.

(7) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Programme committee in SSA configuration referred to in Article 107(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/696.

(8) This Decision should enter into force as soon as possible to allow sufficient time to process the applications and prepare the next Grant Agreement with a view to ensuring the uninterrupted provision of EU SST services,