According to our information, the German EU Council Presidency surveyed national delegations on European space policy in the run-up to the ESA/EU Space Council in November at a meeting of the Space Working Group on Tuesday 8 September.
The Presidency presented a document, obtained by EUROPE, establishing key principles for the space economy, in which it sets out the major challenges of space policy: the leitmotif of European space policy, the orientation of the European space industry (and the growing amount of public orders), institutional governance and the future of Galileo/GNSS.
The German Presidency would like to hold an open debate on the various options on the table (see EUROPE 12593/12). In its view, Member States should retain control over security and defence-related activities. Space policy should also be supported by public funds, again to better guarantee European autonomy.
As for the European Union, it should establish the regulatory framework, again with a view to supporting demand, to exploit space data in the implementation of sectoral policies. The European Space Agency, an intergovernmental agency which is not part of the European Union, would continue its role in the development of space technologies and infrastructure for the EU.
For the German Presidency, the creation of a private space sector, ‘New Space’, like the one on the other side of the Atlantic, requires the development of a market-oriented approach and the strengthening of the partnership between the Union and the European Space Agency (ESA), while respecting the competences of both organisations (along the lines of the Copernicus programme).
Furthermore, the German Presidency would like to see the EU become more involved in space traffic management (STM) also in order to advance a regulatory framework at international level. Finally, European preference should continue to be promoted for European launchers (the Ariane and Vega launchers).
A mixed reception
The working document received a mixed reception from the national delegations, which, while welcoming the overall ambition of the German Presidency, underlined the long way still to go before having agreed conclusions for the next Space Council. A request was made to further clarify the division of roles between the different players in the space sector.
Several delegations reminded the German Presidency that it should not attempt to reinterpret the European Treaties and the content of the Regulation on the EU Space Programme. Others insisted on the need to have a common text between the EU and ESA.
Some also questioned the approach taken by the Presidency, who noted that a joint text does not have the same legal scope as a text adopted by the EU. Only the Union can command the European Commission and the EU’s decision-making autonomy must therefore be preserved.
To see Germany’s documents: https://bit.ly/35mUSiH , https://bit.ly/2F7JooP and https://bit.ly/3bIokB5 (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)