Programming, monitoring and reporting
1. The Programme shall be implemented by work programmes as referred to in Article 110 of the Financial Regulation. The work programmes shall set out the actions and associated budget required to meet the objectives of the Programme and, where applicable, the overall amount reserved for blending operations. The work programmes shall complement the work programmes for GOVSATCOM component, as referred to in Article 100 of Regulation (EU) 2021/696.
The Commission shall adopt the work programmes by means of implementing acts. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 47(3).
2. Indicators to report on progress of the Programme towards the achievement of the general and specific objectives referred to in Article 3 are set out in the Annex.
3. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts, in accordance with Article 45, to amend the Annex with regard to the indicators where considered necessary as well as to supplement this Regulation with provisions on the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation framework.
4. Where imperative grounds of urgency so require, the procedure provided for in Article 46 shall apply to delegated acts adopted pursuant to this Article.
5. The performance reporting system shall ensure that data for monitoring the implementation and the results of the Programme are collected efficiently, effectively and in a timely manner.
To that end, proportionate reporting requirements shall be imposed on recipients of Union funds and, where appropriate, on Member States.
6. For the purposes of paragraph 2, the recipients of Union funds shall provide appropriate information. The data necessary for the verification of the performance shall be collected in an efficient, effective and timely manner.
Evaluation
1. The Commission shall carry out evaluations of the Programme in a timely manner to feed into the decision-making process.
2. By 21 March 2024 and every year thereafter, the Commission shall inform the European Parliament and the Council of the main findings regarding the initial implementation of the Programme, including the completion of definition activities, the consolidation of user needs and implementation plans, as well as the views of relevant stakeholders at Union and national level.
3. By 30 June 2026, the Commission shall evaluate the implementation of the Programme in light of the objectives referred to in Article 3. To that end, the Commission shall assess:
(a)
the performance of the secure connectivity system and services provided under the Programme, in particular low latency, reliability, autonomy and worldwide access;
(b)
the governance and implementation models, and their efficiency;
(c)
the evolution of needs of the users of the Programme;
(d)
the synergy and complementarity of the Programme with other Union programmes, in particular GOVSATCOM and the other components of the Union Space Programme;
(e)
the evolution of available capacities, innovations, and development of new technologies in the space ecosystem;
(f)
the participation of start-ups and SMEs throughout the Union;
(g)
the environmental impact of the Programme taking account of the criteria set out in Article 8;
(h)
any cost overruns, the timeliness in meeting the established project deadlines and the effectiveness of the governance and management of the Programme;
(i)
the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence, and Union added value of the Programme’s activities.
If appropriate, the evaluation shall be accompanied by an appropriate proposal.
4. The evaluation of the Programme shall take into consideration the results of the evaluation of the GOVSATCOM component pursuant to Article 102 of Regulation (EU) 2021/696.
5. The Commission shall communicate the conclusions of the evaluations accompanied by its observations, to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.
6. The entities involved in the implementation of this Regulation shall provide the Commission with the data and information necessary for the evaluation referred to in paragraph 1.
7. Two years after the full operational capability, and every two years thereafter, the Agency shall issue a market report, after consulting relevant stakeholders, on the impact of the Programme on the Union commercial satellite upstream and downstream industry with a view to ensuring the minimum possible impact on competition and the maintenance of incentives to innovate.
Audits
Audits on the use of the Union contribution carried out by persons or entities, including by others than those mandated by the Union institutions or bodies, shall form the basis of the overall assurance pursuant to Article 127 of the Financial Regulation.
Personal data and privacy protection
All personal data handled in the context of the tasks and activities provided for in this Regulation, including by the Agency, shall be processed in accordance with the applicable law on personal data protection, in particular Regulations (EU) 2016/679 ( 30 ) and (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 31 ) .
