The financial contribution delegated by the EU to the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Copernicus programme was not decided before the 30 November deadline set in the Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA), and so has therefore been postponed to an as yet unknown date, several European sources confirmed on Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 December.
Under the Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA) with the European Commission (see EUROPE 12807/15), a deadline of 30 November was set for determining the Commission’s financial contribution to the European Space Agency for the Copernicus programme (Contribution Agreement – CA, which included a clause for consolidation of financial aspects).
However, the EU contribution had been revised downwards by deducting a shortfall of €750 million in funding from the UK (down from €4.115 billion to €3.365 billion) as a result of the deadlocked negotiations between the European Commission and London.
Geopolitical considerations
However, the UK’s financial contribution was still uncertain due to “geopolitical” disputes (particularly issues relating to fisheries and Northern Ireland) over the implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. This is then slowing down the adoption of an internal Memorandum of Understanding by the European Commission.
The lack of progress made over the UK is a cause of concern to the European Space Agency (ESA). During his speech to the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry and Research on Tuesday 30 November, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher confirmed that the issue over the UK’s contribution would not be resolved in time.
He added that a meeting was to be held with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) on Tuesday evening – after the parliamentary hearing – so that different options could be considered.
The deadline for defining the financial contribution delegated by the EU has therefore “de facto” been lifted, we were told. Another source said that an agreement over the UK contribution would be in sight by February 2022. However, this information could not be cross-checked.
Options on the table
In front of MEPs, the Director General of the ESA mentioned two main options for dealing with the shortfall.
The first would be to find sources of funding elsewhere to make up the shortfall resulting from the UK withdrawal. This was done in respect of the Galileo programme some 15 years ago, he noted.
The second would be to reschedule a number of Copernicus projects. The latter option in particular would be considered, he told MEPs.
Questioned by EUROPE on Monday 29 November, during the midday press briefing, the European Commission gave assurances that the implementation of the Copernicus programme would not be affected, even if “an agreement with the UK would allow for an increase in the budget, but we are not there yet”, said Eric Mamer, the European Commission’s chief spokesperson.
However, as we reported at the start of October (see EUROPE 12807/15), this situation could have consequences for the upcoming budget negotiations for the next ESA ministerial meeting in 2022, where some ESA Member States may be tempted to invest less in the Copernicus programme. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)