European Quantum Communication Infrastructure - EuroQCI

The European Commission is working with all 27 EU Member States, and the European Space Agency (ESA), to design, develop and deploy the EuroQCI, which will be composed of a terrestrial segment relying on fibre communications networks linking strategic sites at national and cross-border level, and a space segment based on satellites. It is an integral part of IRIS², the EU space-based secure communication system.

The EuroQCI has to safeguard sensitive data and critical infrastructures by integrating quantum-based systems into existing communication infrastructures, providing an additional security layer based on quantum physics. It will reinforce the protection of Europe’s governmental institutions, their data centres, hospitals, energy grids, and more, becoming one of the main pillars of the EU’s Cybersecurity Strategy for the coming decades.

The EuroQCI uses innovative quantum communication technologies such as those developed by the researchers of the EU-funded Quantum Technologies Flagship, and building in particular on the activities of the Horizon 2020 OPENQKD project. The involvement of European industry partners and SMEs is also crucial to ensuring that the critical components of EuroQCI are based on European technologies, and ultimately to boosting Europe’s scientific, technological and industrial capabilities in cybersecurity and quantum technologies. The initiative will thus contribute to European digital sovereignty and industrial competitiveness, and help to meet Europe’s Digital Decade target of being at the cutting edge of quantum capabilities by 2030.

Towards an operational EuroQCI

The EuroQCI was launched in 2019 with the EuroQCI Declaration, initially signed by seven Member States: all Member States subsequently joined the initiative. Since then, work has continued, under the supervision of the Commission and implemented by the Member States in the case of the terrestrial segment, and by ESA in the case of the space segment.

Terrestrial segment

The first implementation phase of the EuroQCI’s terrestrial segment took place from to 2023 to 2025 with the support of the Commission’s Digital Europe Programme, with a focus on the following areas:

• A set of industrial projects to develop and mature the key technological building blocks for the EuroQCI, with the aim of developing Europe’s quantum communication ecosystem and industry.
• National projects allowing Member States to design and build the national quantum communication networks that will form the basis of the terrestrial segment, testing different technologies and protocols and adapting them to the specific needs of each country.
• A coordination and support action, PETRUS, to act as a link between all projects, facilitate collaboration, and identify standardisation needs.

These first Digital Europe projects have together make it possible to take the first steps towards services offering operational quantum key distribution (QKD), a highly secure way of exchanging encryption keys. 

Following this, the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) provides funding for 19 projects developing cross-border links between national networks, and interconnections with the EuroQCI’s space component.

In addition, since January 2024, the European Commission has launched a four year project (NOSTRADAMUS) setting up a testing and evaluation infrastructure that will enable QKD-based technologies and services to be assessed and validated with a view to certification, so that users can be confident that they will not be vulnerable to attacks. This infrastructure has been progressively deployed and then transferred to the Commission's Joint Research Centre in Ispra,

Building on this funding from Digital Europe and CEF, the further development of national networks and interconnections with the space component is funded under the call IRIS² space-based secure communication system. 

Space Segment

For the space segment, the Commission is currently working with ESA on a first generation constellation of EuroQCI satellites. This will build on the first prototype satellite Eagle-1, developed by ESA and an industrial consortium, and due to be launched in late 2026. 

Future activities will be planned and funded under IRIS².One of these activities is procurement of a microsatellite pilot mission to validate Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology in space. This procurement targets the need to design compact and lightweight satellites and their quantum payloads and engineer their development and in-orbit validation.

To get in touch with the Commission regarding the EuroQCI, please contact CNECT-QCI@ec.europa.eu