Commission proposes a new EU Critical Communication System for first responders

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, the European Commission proposed to establish a new EU Critical Communication System to provide Europe’s first responders with secure and resilient communication channels in crisis situations. Relying on critical components built by European companies, the new system enables seamless and stable real-time communication between all first responders, at all times and across all EU borders, even where terrestrial communication systems are unavailable.

Fires, floods, storms, drone threats to critical infrastructure or terrorist attacks need an effective and well-coordinated response from our police, firefighters, medical services and civil protection teams. Today, their ability to communicate with each other is limited – their communications systems are not connected and stop working when they cross a border. This means that emergency services often cannot communicate with other when they work to rescue people, restore security and public safety in crises and emergencies.

Announced by President von der Leyen in the Political Guidelines, the EU Critical Communication System will address these issues, significantly improving daily operational cooperation in the fight against terrorism and crime, and in saving lives in emergency situations, making the EU a safer place.

The next generation of critical communication for first responders

The European Union Critical Communication System will allow first responders to communicate across services and across borders, and to share photos, videos and sound and communicate in a faster and more secure way, both at national level and across Europe. Notably:

• All Member States will gradually move from narrowband radio systems to broadband technology such as 5G, while EU satellites provide additional back-up for situations when land-bound systems are incapacitated, such as during blackouts.
• The EUCCS will enable first responders to share data, video, messages and geolocation in real–time through a single secure device.

This will improve situational awareness and coordination in case of crises or emergencies.

Security and resilience by design

With emergency events becoming more complex both in nature and scale, this system is designed to remain secure, available and resilient all the time, giving priority to first responders, even when the mobile network is saturated or disrupted. Where no mobile network is available, the system will benefit from the back-up support of EU satellites, as well as from mobile deployable communication units that can restore connectivity for emergency coordination in case of crisis.

The system will be secure, protected against cyber and hybrid attacks using encryption, and a strong protocol. It will be supported by two dedicated entities:

• A European Union Network Monitoring Centre which will provide a secure and resilient optical fibre network, allowing countries to connect through one central point instead of building many separate links with each other.
• A European Union Security Monitoring Centre which will track cyber security risks, assess threats and support Member States.

Reinforcing European strategic autonomy

The proposal provides Member States with a new European-built solution, reducing reliance on foreign technologies and strengthening European tech sovereignty. It puts the EU’s security-by-design approach into practice, ensuring that security is considered from the outset in the systems we develop:

• The system’s critical components (including satellites, the core mobile network, and the mobile broadband technology used) are developed by European companies.
• It makes national investment in critical communication more attractive for Member States, by greatly increasing the reach of the critical communication system from a regional or national tool to one that covers the entire EU and the Schengen Associated Countries and that can serve for coordination across many more services.
• The system is also designed to adapt to the continuous innovation in critical communication and commercial electronic communications. The Commission will support Member States in cooperating with industry and research organisations to ensure the continuous innovation of critical communication in the EU.

While being interconnected at European level, Member States will maintain full control over their national networks and over the governance of the new system, which will be ensured by a Member States’ expert group.

Next steps

It is now for the European Parliament and the Council to adopt the Regulations.

The European Union Critical Communication System is planned to be launched gradually, with a transition period in-built for Member States, starting in 2030.

Background

The EU Critical Communication System was identified as one of the key actions of the European Internal Security Strategy, ProtectEU in April 2025 and the EU Preparedness Union Strategy launched in March 2025. This builds on the recommendations of the Niinistö Report on Preparedness and Readiness of the EU, urging the EU to complete the EU Critical Communication System as soon as possible. This also follows long-standing request from both Member States, as reflected in the Council conclusions of June 2021, and first responders, who need a European critical communication system that works seamlessly across borders.

For more information

Questions & answers

Factsheet

Proposal to establish a European Union Critical Communication System

European Internal Security Strategy (ProtectEU)

European Preparedness Union Strategy

EUCCS