Brussels, 04/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - “Space is strategic for Europe's independence, job creation and competitiveness. Space activities create high-skilled jobs, innovation, new commercial opportunities, and improve citizens' well-being and security. This is why we need to reinforce European space policy to best exploit its social and economic opportunities for industry and SMEs. In order to achieve our goals, Europe needs to keep an independent access to space.” With these words, European Industry and Entrepreneurship Commissioner Antonio Tajani presented the Commission communication EU Space Strategy at the service of the citizen to the press on Monday 4 April. This text sets out the main priorities of this strategy which can now, thanks to the Lisbon Treaty, be developed (Article 189 of the TFEU).
Faced with important economic, societal and strategic challenges, Monday's communication sets out priorities for the future EU space policy: - completing the European navigation satellite programmes Galileo and EGNOS; for example, a service that was recently introduced under EGNOS enables precision approaches and renders air navigation safer; - implementing, with member states, the European Earth Monitoring Programme (GMES) which is designed to monitor land, ocean, atmosphere, air quality and climate change, and to provide emergency response and security, the aim being to become fully operational from 2014; - protecting space infrastructures against space debris, solar radiation and asteroids by setting-up a European Space Situation Awareness (SSA) system; - identifying and supporting action at EU level in the field of space exploration: the EU could, for example, explore options for working with the ISS, ensuring, thereby, the involvement of all member states; - pursuing a space industry policy developed in close collaboration with the European Space Agency and member states; - supporting research and development to increase European technological non-dependence and ensure that innovation in this field will be of benefit to non-space sectors and citizens: communication satellites play a key role in this context, the Commission notes; - strengthening partnerships with EU member states and the European Space Agency (ESA) and implementing improved management schemes.
In its communication, the Commission says that it will pursue the dialogue with its key partners United States and Russia and will initiate discussion with other space-faring nations, such as China, in order to develop more synergies. Space should become an integral part of the EU's external policy in particular to the benefit of Africa, the Commission states.
The Commission is looking into the possibility of presenting a proposal for a European space programme in 2011. Taking responses to the communication presented on 4 April into account, it will decide on its approach as part of its June proposal on the next multi-annual financial framework.
European space manufacturing industry represents a consolidated turnover of €5.4 billion and a highly qualified workforce of over 31,000. The 11 major satellite operators in Europe operate 153 communication satellites, employ 6,000 people and have a €6 billion per year turnover, with a downstream effect on 30,000 employees. It is estimated that, already, 6-7% of GDP in Western countries, i.e. €800 billion in the EU, is dependent on satellite radio navigation.
The space service markets are growing rapidly. For instance, GNSS applications markets annual turnover worldwide is expected to reach around €240 billion by 2020. Moreover, as a result of the advantages of Galileo and EGNOS compared with the other competing systems, they are expected to generate economic and social benefits worth around €60-90 billion over the next 20 years, the Commission says.
According to OECD, the world market for Earth Observation commercial data which was $735 million in 2007 has the potential to rise to around $3 billion in 2017.
The SSA (Space Situational Awareness) system would help reduce the quantifiable estimated loss for European assets due to collision with debris and space weather, which, on the basis of available data, amount to roughly €332million yearly on average.
The Commission points out, however, that the expected benefits and profits of development of the European space industry do not take account of the costs resulting from possible incidents or accidents (the loss of a satellite and its consequences, fall of near earth objects, etc). (O.L./transl.rt)