Security Accreditation Board
An independent Security Accreditation Board (SAB) has been established within the Agency as one of its three official bodies, together with the Administration Board and the Executive Director. The SAB is the security accreditation authority for all of the EU Space Programme’s components and takes its decisions in a independent manner including with regard to the Commission and the other bodies responsible for the implementation of the components and provision of service.
The SAB is composed of a representative of each Member State, a representative from the Commission and a representative from the High Representative for the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Where appropriate, representatives of ESA and representatives of the Agency not involved in security accreditation may be invited to attend the meetings of the Security Accreditation Board as observers. On an exceptional basis, representatives of other EU institutions, of third countries or international organisations may also be invited as observers.
The chairperson of the SAB is responsible for representing the Agency on security accreditation matters. The current chairperson is Philippe Bertrand (France).
Philippe Bertrand
The SAB ensures that systems comply to the relevant security requirements and provides statements of approval to operate for the systems and the services. To assist it in this mission, the SAB has set up subordinate bodies acting on its instructions. Within the Agency, the technical security accreditation activities supporting the SAB are entrusted to a dedicated Security Accreditation Department directly reporting to the SAB chairperson.
The SAB adopts its decisions based on local decisions taken by the competent national security accreditation authorities, the verifications performed by the Security Accreditation Department and the recommendations from its technical subordinate Panel and Bodies. These decisions include:
- Defining and Approving of the security accreditation strategies;
- Approval of satellites launches;
- Authorisation to operate the systems in different configurations and various services they provide;
- Authorisation to operate the ground stations;
- Authorisation of bodies to develop or manufacture sensitive PRS technologies, PRS receivers or PRS security modules.
- Endorsing the selection of approved products
- Approving interconnections between systems
More information on the SAB way of working can be found in the SAB Rules of Procedure (RoP). The RoP’s scope is to describe formally how the SAB is organised for the security accreditation responsibilities defined in the Chapter II of the Union Space Regulation, which establishes the SAB within the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), and its role as the security accreditation authority for all the space components of the Union Space Programme.
The organigram of the Security Accreditation Department
SAB milestones since 2010
- 2021 March: Security Accreditation Strategy EGNOS
- 2016 December: Authorisation for the provision of Initial Services, OS and PRS
- 2016 December: Authorisation to operate Galileo Infrastructure
- 2012 June: First Authorisation of body for PRS Receiver and Security module SAB
- 2011 October: First Approval to Launch Satellites
- 2010 September: Security Accreditation Strategy Galileo
- 2010 September: First SAB meeting
SAB Chairpersons:
- 2022 – present: Philippe Bertrand
- 2018 – 2022: Bruno Vermeire
- 2014 – 2018: Jeremy Blyth
- 2011 – 2014: Michel Iagolnitzer
- 2010 – 2011: Bruno Vermeire (interim)