Date: 2025-12-19Category: Not ApplicableState: Union GovernmentCountry: Europe
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/2517 of 17 December 2025 on the inclusion of additional EU Member States into the Space Surveillance and Tracking Partnership (notified under document C(2025) 8684)
Issued by European Commission
· Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space
**Executive Summary**
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/2517, dated 17 December 2025, addresses the inclusion of additional EU Member States (Belgium, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Luxembourg) into the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) Partnership. It confirms their compliance with the criteria for participation as outlined in Regulation (EU) 2021/696 and Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1205. The decision is effective as of 19 December 2025.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Background:**
* Regulation (EU) 2021/696 allows Member States to participate in the SST partnership if they meet the criteria.
* Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1245 establishes the rules and procedures for participation.
* Fifteen Member States already constitute the SST partnership.
* Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1205 outlines the procedure for the inclusion of additional Member States in the SST partnership.
* **Compliance Assessment:**
* Belgium, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Luxembourg submitted applications to join the SST partnership.
* The Commission assessed and deemed these applications compliant with the relevant criteria.
* The SST partnership demonstrated the added value of the applicant Member States' sensors and capabilities.
* **Decision:**
* The applications from Belgium, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Luxembourg to join the SST Partnership are approved.
* The Decision is addressed to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Lithuania and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
**Impact Analysis**
**Belgium, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Luxembourg**
* **Impact:** Now included in the SST Partnership.
* **Action Required:** Take note of the Decision and prepare to participate in the SST partnership activities.
**Existing SST Partnership Member States**
* **Impact:** The SST Partnership is enlarged with new members.
* **Action Required:** Integrate the new members and their capabilities into the partnership's operations.
**European Commission**
* **Impact:** Responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Decision.
* **Action Required:** Notify the applicant Member States and the existing constituting national entities of the compliance assessment outcome.
Key Entities Referenced
Regulation (EU) 2021/696: Regulation establishing the Union Space Programme and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme.
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1205: Implementing decision outlining the procedure for the inclusion of additional Member States in the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) partnership.
Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) partnership: A partnership of EU Member States cooperating on space surveillance and tracking.
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1245: Implementing Decision laying down rules and procedures regarding the participation of Member States in the SST sub-component.
Belgium, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Luxembourg: EU member states whose applications to join the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) partnership have been approved.
Official Journal EN
of the European Union L series
2025/2517 19.12.2025
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION(EU) 2025/2517
of 17 December 2025
on the inclusion of additional EU Member States into the Space Surveillance and Tracking
Partnership
(notified under document C(2025) 8684)
(only the Bulgarian, French, Lithuanian and Dutch texts are authentic)
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),
Having regard to Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1205 of 19 June 2025 laying down rules for the
application of Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the procedure for
inclusion of additional Member States in the Space Surveillance and Tracking partnership(2), and in particular Article 4(4)
thereof,
Whereas:
(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(3). 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.
(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, the Commission adopted Implementing Decision
(EU) 2025/1205 outlining the procedure for the inclusion of additional Member States in the SST partnership.
(5) Four Member States, Belgium, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Luxembourg, submitted applications to join the SST
partnership. The Commission assessed these applications pursuant to Article 4(3) of Implementing Decision
(EU) 2025/1205 and deemed them compliant with the criteria set out in Article 57(1), points (a) and (b), of
Regulation (EU) 2021/696 as specified by the individual conditions set out in Section 1 of Annex I to Implementing
Decision (EU) 2022/1245. The SST partnership demonstrated, as part of an architecture study, that the sensors and
capabilities proposed by the applicant Member States bring an added value to the SST partnership.
(1) OJ L 170, 12.5.2021, p. 69, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/696/oj.
(2) OJ L, 2025/1205, 20.6.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/1205/oj.
(3) Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1245 of 15 July 2022 laying down rules and procedures for the application of
Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the participation of Member States in the SST
sub-component, the establishment of the SST Partnership and the development of the initial key performance indicators (OJ L 190,
19.7.2022, p. 166, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2022/1245/oj).
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/2517/oj 1/2EN
OJ L, 19.12.2025
(6) In accordance with Article 4(4) of Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1205, the Commission has to notify the
applicant Member States, and the constituting national entities designated by the participating Member States, of the
outcome of the compliance assessment,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
The applications to join the SST Partnership submitted by Belgium, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Luxembourg to the
Commission demonstrate compliance with the provisions outlined in Article 4(3) of Implementing Decision
(EU) 2025/1205.
Article 2
This Decision is addressed to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Lithuania and the Grand
Duchy of Luxembourg.
Done at Brussels, 17 December 2025.
For the Commission
Andrius KUBILIUS
Member of the Commission
2/2 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/2517/oj