Legal Aspects of European Satellite Navigation Systems in a Time of Change

Abstract

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is an important tool in supporting innovation and developing the economy. The European Union has created two systems: Galileo and EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service), which enable the localisation of points on the Earth’s surface and in the sky. The GNSS programme offers a range of opportunities for Central and Eastern European societies in which the existence of the E-GNNS (European Global Navigation Satellite System) is still not well known. The article is an attempt to raise awareness of the use of Galileo and EGNOS systems, as well as to present the legal framework concerning this programme and the changes introduced by Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021. The main research goal is assessing changes in the most crucial areas of this regulation, such as security of the systems, access of third parties, compliance of the provisions with human rights standards, and issues related to budgetary implications which are particularly important for the continuity and stability of E-GNNS.

Keywords

• satellite navigation
• galileo
• egnos
• gnns
• e-gnss
• european union agency for the space programme