On November 12, the Verkhovna Rada ratified an agreement between Ukraine and the European Union on participation in the Copernicus Earth observation program and specific components of the EU Space Programme. The corresponding bill No. 0373 was supported by 243 people's deputies.

This was reported by Suspilne citing the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

The ratified agreement provides for Ukraine's participation in three areas of the European space program:

  • Copernicus - a system of satellite and ground-based Earth observation, which provides data on environmental conditions, climate change, land use, and other processes.
  • Space Weather Events (SWE) - monitoring of space weather, including solar activity and its potential impact on satellites, communication systems, and other infrastructure.
  • Near-Earth Objects (NEO) - observation of asteroids and other near-Earth objects that may pose a potential threat to Earth.

Participation in the program is expected to expand the capabilities of Ukrainian scientists, enterprises, and government agencies in using European space technologies. In particular, satellite data can be used for monitoring agricultural lands, forest conditions, water resources, and consequences of emergencies.

A separate area of cooperation concerns energy security and infrastructure restoration. Earth remote sensing data can be used for assessing damaged territories, planning reconstruction, and analyzing environmental consequences of the war.

As noted by the European Commission, the cooperation is also expected to contribute to the development of the Ukrainian space industry, exchange of technical experience, and expansion of opportunities for innovation.

For Ukrainian companies and research institutions, the agreement creates a legal basis for participation in projects of the relevant components of the EU Space Programme under established conditions. At the same time, it does not provide for automatic funding of all Ukrainian participants.

The agreement was signed on April 9, 2025, in Brussels during a meeting of the EU-Ukraine Association Council. From Ukraine, the document was signed by Vsevolod Chentsov, representative to the EU, and from the EU by European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius.

Ratification by the Verkhovna Rada was the next stage in formalizing Ukraine's participation in the program. However, this does not mean automatic launch of all mechanisms provided for by the agreement. Their application will depend on the entry into force of the agreement and relevant procedures.

Ukraine has previously cooperated with the EU in the field of satellite observation, particularly within the framework of agreements on Copernicus data exchange from 2018. The new agreement expands and formalizes this cooperation.