On Friday 26 November, Bruno Le Maire, the French Minister for the Economy, Finance and Productive Recovery, and Vittorio Colao, the Italian Minister for Technological Innovation and Digital Transition, agreed on the conclusions of the High Level Group on space issues initiated last September, alongside the signing of the Quirinal Treaty, the French Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Recovery announced in a press release.
The aim, a Bercy source explained, is to consolidate the European position in the face of competition in the field of launchers, particularly from the United States, by emphasising cooperation between Member States instead of competition. This agreement is therefore in line with the one signed with Germany this summer (see EUROPE 12767/11).
These bilateral agreements are not directly linked to the European Launcher Alliance, initiated by the Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton (see EUROPE 12576/21). But the terms agreed at the bilateral level are inevitably reflected in the multilateral agreements, we were told. Other similar agreements are planned with other Member States, our source confirmed. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)