In conclusions which are to be presented to the Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Committee of Permanent Representatives – Coreper I) on Wednesday 25 May, the national delegations of the EU Member States support a dual development of the Copernicus Earth observation programme.
Thus, while supporting the continuity of the programme and the extension to the 6 new missions (see EUROPE 12956/39), the national delegations suggest a dual evolution of the programme in the future by mentioning throughout the conclusions the notions of ‘security capacity’ or the strengthening of the ‘security services portfolio’.
Above all, the delegations recommend supporting “near-real-time Copernicus services in order to meet constantly changing demands, while taking into account the risks to the EU’s security interests”.
And for good reason, as one source explained: although mobilised for border surveillance in the EU and Ukraine, the Copernicus programme could not be used in the war zones during the Russian invasion of Ukraine for border surveillance because of the nature of its activities, which were limited to the civilian domain.
Within this framework, the Member States want to equip the programme with high-resolution imaging capabilities, our source told us.
The issue of dual-use is becoming increasingly important at EU level, notably with the ‘strategic compass’, in particular the definition of an EU space strategy for security and defence (see EUROPE 12941/8).
Once approved on Wednesday, ministers are expected to adopt the set of conclusions at the Competitiveness Council on 10 June.
To read the conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/1pr (in French) (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)