IRIS² is the EU’s bid to secure satellite connectivity for governments while also supporting commercial services. The real test is governance. Who controls access, how crisis priority is decided, and how accountability works in a long public–private concession will shape whether IRIS² actually strengthens EU autonomy.
The Russo-Ukraine conflict has strengthened the EU’s will to seek strategic autonomy. However, the EU’s reliance on the US and NATO for security may halt further plans for strategic autonomy.
Increasing security threats and a lack of coordination between European states proved the need to establish a new platform to discuss strategic issues and maintain high-level dialogue between heads of states. It gave a new impetus to the old ideas of Great Europe that were developed in France, namely by Francois Mitterand. Emmanuel Macron has brought this idea back by proposing a European Political Community, which has faced a lot of criticism already. Even so, it can have some substantial benefits for European politics and contribute to shaping the European security order.
