EU Complementary Time (C-T) and Complementary Position and Navigation (C-PN) services

Satellite-based navigation and timing services are a cornerstone of Europe’s economy and critical infrastructure resilience. Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) functions, delivered principally by Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as the EU owned Galileo, underpin sectors ranging from transport and finance to energy and telecommunications. Several studies attribute roughly 10 % of EU GDP to PNT related activities, while a single day without GNSS could have a financial impact up to €1 billion.

The Commission proposal for the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), includes for the 2028‑2034 Multi‑annual Financial Framework, a contribution to complementary PNT services, which shall increase the resilience in case of disruptions to the services provided by the PNT component (Article 59). The project shall assess how best can the Commission contribute to complementary PNT services in the next MFF. Leveraging existing national and pan‑European infrastructure, the Commission would like to assess:

• How to best strengthen with the resilience of PNT services to radio frequency interference (RFI) affecting GNSS services throughout the EU.
• How to best contribute to the deployment of a mature, interoperable C T architecture that is ready for operational use within the multi financial framework 2028 2034.
• How to best support candidates for a C-PN service, that utilise the C-T infrastructure and are resilient to RFI and to assess whether the technology is ready for deployment or, if not what is required.