Members of the European Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE) have almost unanimously (73 votes in favour and 4 abstentions) adopted a resolution and an oral question (75 votes in favour and one abstention) in which they call for the presentation of a legislative act on Space Traffic Management (STM) before 2024.
“The European Parliament and the ITRE Committee are committed to delivering on space and this shows it once more!”, Cristian-Silviu Bușoi (EPP, Romania), rapporteur for the resolution and chairman of the ITRE committee, told EUROPE.
“Developments in space have led to exponential risks for space operations and space-based services”, he said.
MEPs therefore call for a binding EU regulatory framework (rules, standards, technical specifications and guidelines) for space activities, spacecraft (automated) collision avoidance, space debris avoidance, space debris mitigation and remediation and space debris removal techniques.
Most importantly, the resolution calls on the Commission to propose STM legislation before 2024, including on the governance of the system and the responsibilities that will fall to the EU Space Programme Agency (EUSPA), based on the mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027. It will then be possible to integrate this legislation into the framework of the current EU space programme, with the integration of STM into the next space programme.
“I hope that the EU Council and the Commission will see the importance of having a legislation and will answer to our call in the MfR and come up with a proposal before 2024”, he said, referring to the low ambitions on the side of the EU Council (see EUROPE 12943/12). The European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) had proposed the end of 2024 (see EUROPE 12891/4).
Given the international dimension of the space sector, the resolution calls on the Commission to actively promote these EU rules at international level (UN, third countries) in order to foster a rapid adoption at international level of a management framework and also to avoid excessive administrative burdens for the space sector industry.
To consult the resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/1p6 (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)