Among many actions planned, the European Commission wants to launch a flagship project in the field of Space Traffic Management, according to a draft version of the action plan to create synergies between the space, civil and defence industries, obtained by EUROPE on Monday 15 February.
Among the 11 actions listed by the institution are three major projects to take advantage of dual technologies, including a strategy to establish spatial traffic management at EU level (see EUROPE 12360/14). The institution wants to draw up European standards and rules needed to prevent collisions resulting from the propagation of satellites and space debris.
The objective is to “also avoid the risk of non-EU standards becoming the norm” and thereby prevent any situation of dependence that would have a “negative effect” on the EU’s strategic autonomy and technological sovereignty. As a reminder, in 2018 the United States adopted a regulatory framework for space traffic management.
In addition, the Commission is planning two other flagship projects, one of which aims to set up a secure communications system, which is being pushed by the Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton (see EUROPE 12649/22). This flagship project, the outlines of which should be better known within the next 2 months, would be the EU’s third satellite system, complementing the two existing systems (Galileo/EGNOS and Copernicus).
This would provide secure space-based connectivity for government and commercial services, including better connection of key infrastructures, support for crisis management and external actions, and surveillance.
Finally, the third major project concerns the development of UAV technologies. This project also aims to create synergies between civil and defence industry activities and will complement the ‘European Drone Strategy 2.0’ planned for 2022.
Eleven actions
Among other actions, the European Commission intends to present a proposal by 2021 to strengthen a capability-driven approach in all security sectors, building on best practices from the defence and space sectors.
The institution wants to improve the coordination of European programmes to facilitate synergies and access to finance and launch, during the first half of the year, targeted actions to raise awareness and support start-ups and SMEs.
By the end of the year, the institution wants to create an Observatory of Critical Technologies, which will produce a report on technologies every 2 years.
Here, the Commission wants to set up an innovation incubator in the first half of 2022 to support dual technologies. It also wants to support research via the European Defence Fund in order to develop disruptive technologies, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence.
The action plan will be presented by the institution on Wednesday 17 February. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)