In December 2009 a study on the GMES governance and financing was published at the request of the European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy. The study emphasizes the strategic importance and components of GMES, carries out a comparison with the Galileo programme and critically analyses the governance and financing of GMES. Finally, the study addresses several policy recommendations in order to enable GMES to become fully operational and ensure its sustainability.
At the request of the European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, in December 2009 the European Techno-Economic Policy Support Network (ETEPS AISBL) issued a study entitled "The EU programme for Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES): governance and financing".
This study introduces the GMES programme and its components, draws lessons learned from a comparison with the Galileo programme and critically analyses the governance and financing of GMES. Furthermore, the study develops policy recommendations based on the main findings.
Starting by the GMES applications and strategic importance, the study states that GMES can be the appropriate strategic tool to support Europe on geopolitical issues through unified Earth Observation. GMES will provide the EU with a tool for participating in the international efforts relating to the July 2005 G8 recommendation to strengthen the global climate system. Moreover, the study underlines that GMES makes an important contribution to serving the EU's civil security needs.
While describing the distinction between the Core Services and Downstream Services of GMES, the study points out that the most significant difference is that Downstream Services are processed for and financed by the private sector. Due to the complexity of GMES, related to the integration of space-based and in-situ data, the study is of the view that the GMES capacity can only be built up progressively, based on identified priorities and using existing elements whenever possible.
When making comparison between Galileo and GMES, the study stresses very slow development to date for both space programs, leading to delays and cost overruns. The reasons for these problems are similar:
- Unclear programme tasks from the outset;
- Insufficient political support;
- Inadequately defined roles for the decision makers;
- Unclear plans for revenue generation.
Regarding the governance of GMES, the study concludes that it has a very complex structure which can lead to a number of shortcomings. Therefore there is a potential for improvement in this regard, including the necessity to integrate a Security Board into the inner structure of GMES as well as to strengthen the interlinkages between the different institutions and to assess the potential market for the Downstream Services.
As regards the financing of GMES, the study recalls that until 2008 the main contributions came from EC Research Framework Programmes and ESA, and were mostly dedicated to research activities. It was only after 2008 that funding was dedicated to pre-operational and operational activities. At the current stage questions concerning the financial relationship between the EU and ESA still remain open which explains the need for a longer-term financing agreement to contribute to stable working conditions. The contribution of Member States to GMES depends mostly on political priorities and the expectations of the outcomes for their space industries. Finally, the commercial space industry could also be considered as a source of financial contributions to GMES, but only as a limited one.
Among policy recommendations expressed by the study remain the following:
- Ensure that it is possible to exchange information between GMES and Galileo;
- Improve the GMES structure thanks to clear governance and decision-making structures;
- Establish a balance between restructuring processes and stable working conditions;
- Realise the fast track services as soon as possible in order to improve the visibility of GMES;
- Ensure a structured dialogue among all stakeholders due to the user-driven approach of GMES;
- Secure new and sustainable sources of finance for GMES in the long run;
- Create a market for private end users;
- Create a single budget line for GMES, with clearly defined coordination activities between ESA, EC and Member States as well as the involvement of the private sector.
The study can be found at:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/studies/download.do?language=en&file=28551#search=%20PE%20429.985%20-%200