According to the respective statements examined by EUROPE, the European Union and the European Space Agency (ESA) are expected to make a joint appeal for strengthening international cooperation and the prevalence of international law in the space exploration area, during the 2nd International Space Exploration Forum (ISEF2) on Saturday 2 March in Tokyo.
On Friday 23 February, the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the EU (COREPER) gave the green light to the EU statement elaborated during the Council working party.
The substance of its declaration means that the EU recognises the solar exploration system’s in strengthening diplomatic relations based on international law and peace. The EU is therefore launching an appeal in favour of the exploration of outer space by robots and humans for “the whole of humanity" and highlights the fact that the technologies developed for space exploration have a positive outcome on the "non-space" economies and sectors. The EU is therefore highlighting the need to keep space exploration open to partners and space-faring actors, as well as those new to this area of exploration.
Similarly, the ESA is pointing out that international scientific cooperation "transcends" political tensions and contributes to "geo-political stability" and that there is a need to open up space exploration “to all the peoples of the world” and “not just a few nations”. The ESA argues that space exploration must be based on an “an open and inclusive architecture” through the Committee of Peaceful Users of Outer Space (COPUOS). The ESA has selected the moon and Mars for both robot and human missions.
It should be pointed out that the ESA statement mentions the private sector, which has made a spectacular entrance into this domain in the US, with projects such as Space X.
The ISEF was created under the impetus of the EU and the ESA in 2011, in Lucca, Italy. The first meeting took place in Washington in 2014. The objective is to invite, as part of an inter-ministerial forum, the member states to discuss the future of space exploration. At the end of the forum, the EU and ESA are expected to provide the terms of reference and principles for space exploration.
Germany and Italy are expected to co-chair the next ISEF in 2021. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)