EU fast-tracks merger of three European firms into one SpaceX rival. It wants to end reliance on US satellites that failed Ukraine this week

The EU plans to fast-track antitrust approval for Project Bromo, a satellite venture aimed at reducing Europe's reliance on American space technology, Bloomberg reports. The news comes amid the latest reports that the US administration has switched off Elon Musk's Starlink service to Ukrainian forces amid US President Donald Trump's diesel deal with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, according to Reuters.

Project Bromo would merge the satellite arms of Italy’s Leonardo and France’s Airbus and Thales into a single European player capable of competing with SpaceX and American and Chinese rivals.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has backed the project, Eunews reports.

“These are the types of industrial champions we need if Europe is to lead in the space economy of tomorrow,” she said at an international space summit in Paris last month, citing Bromo by name.

A year of quiet groundwork before the filing

The partners have been preparing the ground for months. Over the past year, they discussed potential competition concerns with EU officials to resolve them before filing a formal application, according to Bloomberg. The companies have not yet applied, but Brussels expects them to do so in the coming weeks.

For large deals, regulators usually hold preliminary consultations to flag obstacles early. If the companies offer concessions, such as selling some assets, the deal could clear after a first-phase review of a little over a month. If competition concerns remain, the Commission could open an in-depth probe lasting several months.

The caveat behind the Starlink-rival label

The push is part of a wider European scramble for space autonomy. Ukraine is building a satellite system of its own beyond any single company’s control, and France recently poured 1.35 billion euros into the operator Eutelsat.

For Ukraine, such systems are indispensable, as Kyiv's operation against Russia's war capabilities relies on them.