EU Commission Seeks to Devote Half of 131-Billion-Euro Defense and Space Budget to Space

The European Commission wants space programs to receive 50 percent of its proposed seven-year military and space budget of 131 billion euros ($152.3 billion), Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said in Paris. The allocation would channel roughly 65 billion euros to space over the 2028 to 2034 period.

The proposal is part of the Commission's Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) budget covering 2028 to 2034. That budget is still under debate by the European Parliament and the European Council, the body representing the heads of state of the 27-nation EU.

Kubilius, who leads DG-Defis, said the Commission wants to allocate one-half of the combined military and space envelope to space programs. He made the remarks in Paris. The full 131-billion-euro proposal spans seven years, with the space share amounting to a budget of 65 billion euros over that period.

The proposed split places space on equal footing with defense within the combined envelope. The figures cited reflect the Commission's position, which remains subject to negotiation among EU institutions and member states before any budget is finalized.

Allocating half of a combined defense and space budget to space would mark a significant elevation of space's priority within the proposed framework, as set out by the Commission through Kubilius.

The MFF budget remains under debate by the European Parliament and the European Council, and member-state agreement will determine whether the proposed space allocation holds.