The European GNSS Agency (GSA) congratulates Bruno Vermeire on his appointment as the new EU GNSS Security Accreditation Board (SAB) chair and thanks outgoing chair Jeremy Blyth for his dedicated service. The SAB chairperson is responsible for representing the GSA on security accreditation matters.

In taking up his position, the newly appointed SAB chair Bruno Vermeire, who is currently Head of Information Security at the National Security Authority Belgium, highlighted the complexity of security accreditation for the European space programmes. “Security accreditation of EGNOS and Galileo is a very complex exercise. It is an honour that the EU Member States have placed their confidence in me as their Chairman. I will work very hard with my colleagues on the accreditation board and the programme to accommodate the security requirements in this magnificent European programme to the best extent possible,” he said.

Outgoing chair Jeremy Blyth highlighted that, during his four-year term, the SAB had jointly made some important and challenging decisions that have enabled the flagship Galileo programme to progress and deliver the services that European citizens deserve, in a secure manner.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to have had the confidence and friendship of my EU Member State colleagues during my mandate as their Chairman of the EU GNSS Security Accreditation Board,” he said, adding: “In Bruno Vermeire, I know my colleagues in the SAB have chosen a dedicated professional and a leader who will enable. I wish you all, and the programme, the very best for the future.”

The outgoing and incoming EU GNSS SAB Chairs Jeremy Blyth and Bruno Vermeire

GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides expressed his gratitude to the outgoing SAB chairman: “I would like to thank Jeremy Blyth for his great work over the four years of his mandate. He has guided SAB with his many sound and balanced decisions and has made a valuable contribution to the Galileo programme.”

Core activity

Security is one of the core activities entrusted to the GSA by the European Commission. The Agency is responsible for the security accreditation of the European GNSS systems and is charged with verifying compliance with the applicable security rules and regulations established by the Council and the European Commission.

To meet this obligation, an independent Security Accreditation Board (SAB) was set up as one of the three official bodies of the GSA, together with the Administration Board and the Executive Director. The SAB is the sole Security Accreditation Authority of the European GNSS systems and acts independently of the authorities in charge of the programmes, notably the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the rest of the GSA.

The SAB is composed of one representative per Member State, one representative from the Commission and one from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. A representative of the ESA is also invited to attend SAB meetings as an observer. In specific situations, representatives of third countries or international organisations may also be invited to attend meetings as observers.

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