According to the industry body SIA-India, this would help ensure that Europe’s space sector remains open, competitive, and innovation-led, while strengthening cooperation with trusted partners, including India.
The New Delhi-headquartered Space Industry Association of India (SIA-India) has urged that the proposed EU Space Act must align with the aspirations of third-country partners such as India.
In a joint position paper submitted with Belgium-based Grayspace Law & Policy Consulting, SIA-India recommended balanced regulation, early international collaboration, and mutual recognition of standards. This would ensure that Europe’s space sector remains open, competitive, and innovation-led while also strengthening cooperation with trusted partners such as India.
The EU Space Act, currently under consultation, marks a pivotal step in Europe’s effort to establish a unified regulatory framework for space activities across member states. It will significantly influence licensing, safety, sustainability, and global partnerships, shaping how third-country operators, including India, engage with the European space ecosystem.
The message was reiterated by SIA-India at a recent high-level international webinar roundtable, ‘EU Space Act: Perspectives from Non-EU Partner Countries’, involving the European Commission and non-EU partners to exchange perspectives and strengthen global cooperation on space governance.
Anil Prakash, Director General of SIA-India, said, “Our engagement on the Draft EU Space Act goes beyond policy commentary or commercial considerations. Given the novelty of this initiative, it represents the beginning of a broader and continuing dialogue, one that will strengthen equitable partnerships and advance inclusive global space governance.”
Sagar Singamsetty, Managing Partner at Grayspace Law & Policy Consulting, added, “The EU Space Act presents a timely opportunity to advance sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness in Europe’s space sector. However, its success depends on inclusive dialogue with third-country operators and policy alignment with emerging space powers.”
Singamsetty noted that such dialogue between the EU and India could serve as a model for building mutually beneficial, interoperable, and future-ready regulatory frameworks.
Global Space Dialogue
The roundtable brought together over 100 participants from multiple time zones, including representatives from the European Commission, former EU ministers, the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI), regulators, and industry associations from the US, Australia, Japan, and India, alongside leading global companies.
Deliberations reflected broad support for Europe’s harmonisation efforts, while cautioning against implementation risks such as regulatory overlap with existing frameworks.
Participants also highlighted practical challenges related to third-country authorisation pathways, qualified technical body (QTB) capacity constraints, potential market access barriers for start-ups and SMEs operating in hybrid or distributed supply chains, and risks of fragmented implementation that could undermine European competitiveness and strain international partnerships.
The consultation reinforced a shared belief that emerging space economies must have a voice in shaping international governance. By extending the dialogue beyond Europe, the initiative creates a platform for policymakers, industry, and academia to explore balanced and globally aligned regulatory pathways.