On Monday 17 October, ministers at the Environment Council gave their agreement for the European Commission to sign a joint declaration with the European Space Agency (ESA) in the area of space policy, in order to strengthen their cooperation.
According to the text adopted, the two parties will be committed to renewing and reinforcing their future cooperation in keeping with the 2004 framework agreement between the EU and ESA, the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU), which calls for the EU to develop Space policies (Article.189), and the ESA Convention (Articles 2 and 5).
In the context of expansion from new international actors (China and India) and “New Space”, a term which designates the new forces represented by private actors that have come into being, particularly in the US, the signatories are now planning on a range of different actions by 2030, so that Europe maintains its place in the sector.
The joint text therefore lists three major areas of action:- maximising integration of the space element in European society and economy by increasing applications underpinning public policies and by strengthening synergies between civilian and security-related activities (navigation, communication, observation, particularly border surveillance and maritime areas);- strengthening competitiveness in the European space sector, which is faced with international competition through support for SMEs, research and innovation;- guaranteeing the EU’s space autonomy, particularly by way of ensuring the protection of it infrastructure against cyber attacks.
This joint declaration is likely to be adopted on 26 October, at the same time as the European space strategy – for which the main areas of action have been outlined by EUROPE on the number of occasions: independent access to space;- exploitation of space data;- strengthened cooperation with the ESA (see EUROPE 11632, 11540).
ESA and the EU are not adopting a joint strategy. ESA will adopt it strategy in December – in other words, a few weeks after the European Commission presents its strategy. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)