During a technical level meeting at the Council of the EU on 6 October, ASD-Eurospace, the organisation representing the space sector industry, highlighted the need to maintain a long-term commitment at both institutional and budget levels to support the European terrestrial observation Copernicus programme.
The organisation therefore highlighted the important role played by this programme for enhancing European sovereignty and improving competitiveness and public policy efficiency at all levels. Eurospace also underlined the programme’s role in asserting European expertise in the space and terrestrial observation sector and strengthening the European space industry’s credibility at an international level.
In this context, the organisation emphasised the need to guarantee long-term data access. Eurospace believes any legal uncertainty would undermine the success of this programme, which is entirely based on the use of space generated data (see EUROPE 11540), because investors would have misgivings about committing themselves in such circumstances.
Eurospace therefore stressed the role of public investment in maintaining infrastructure and indicated that some services in this programme are not public and were not seeking to make a profit (CO2 emissions monitoring and climate related services). As part of the next multiannual financial framework and space strategy for Europe, the organisation is calling on institutional actors to continue financing Copernicus and to provide the programme with a sufficient budget.
One European source indicated that the space industry would be very much concerned by “the attraction displayed by some at the European Commission for US operators” and explained that the US space sector “is traditionally very closed”. “Copernicus” regulation (Regulation 377/2014) article 4 stipulates that support for developing competitive European industry in the space sector and services is part of the objectives pursued by the programme.
Space industry says around €20 billion should be dedicated to the sector in future. Jean-Loïc Galle, the President of Eurospace, addressed the vice president of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, on 7 September in a letter of which EUROPE has obtained a copy. In the letter he formulates a number of major recommendations from the space industry for the next multiannual financial framework, namely: an allocation of at least €7 billion to support and develop the Galileo and Egnos programmes and guarantee the continuity of funding in support of the Copernicus programme and extend its scope, especially in the security domain (migration flows, border control, etc.); funding of a minimum amount of €1 billion to set up the Govsatcom programme; - an allocation of €1 billion to rectify the lack of digital coverage, particularly in rural areas; €1 billion to establish a space debris follow-up system; a €2 billion allocation for setting up an “ambitious” technological development programme. Above all, the President is calling for the introduction of a contractual framework to ensure a level playing field for European launchers by grouping together orders from the institutions and, in this connection, calls on the EU to provide support “adapted” launching infrastructure (€700 million). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)