Greece has been selected as one of two central hubs for the European Union’s secure satellite communications program, GOVSATCOM, another landmark initiative aimed at enhancing the EU’s autonomous satellite communication capabilities. Alongside Germany, Greece will play a pivotal role in managing and delivering secure satellite communications to critical infrastructures across all EU member states.

This decision, announced on 15 January 2025 by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, reinforces the EU’s commitment to building resilient and cost-effective satellite communication systems for governmental and security-critical missions.

What is GOVSATCOM?

The European Union Governmental Satellite Communications (GOVSATCOM) programme is a cornerstone of the European Space Program (EUSPA), aiming to provide secure, resilient and cost-efficient satellite communications capabilities to security and safety critical missions and governmental operations managed by the EU and its Member States.

The program, which will remain active until 2051, is designed to provide the EU and its member states with encrypted and interference-free communication. Its objectives align with the EuroQCI goal of enhancing member states’ resilience and autonomy by leveraging quantum key distribution (QKD) and other advanced cryptographic methods.

GOVSATCOM, EuroQCI and IRIS²

The selection of Greece as a GOVSATCOM hub is a development that strengthens Greece’s position as a geopolitically key player in technological innovation and security. Moreover, in conjunction with IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity, and Security by Satellite) which builds on and expands the secure communications framework of GOVSATCOM and EuroQCI -the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure-  under which HellasQCI project operates, adding a quantum-level security to the infrastructure, the system will bring an unprecedented security level to its governmental and commercial users.

Read the press release by the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance (in Greek) here