EU space ministers stressed the importance of taking SMEs and start-ups into account and of strengthening international cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the United Nations (UN), during an exchange on resilience and competitiveness held at the Competitiveness Council late afternoon on Friday, 10 June.
A majority of ministers (from Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Estonia, and others) emphasised the key role to be played by the private sector, in particular in the context of the Secure Connectivity constellation project (see EUROPE 12968/13).
For some, start-ups and SMEs can boost the space sector, like the American ‘New Space’, particularly when it comes to the development of disruptive technologies. In this respect, several countries have highlighted the role of the European Cassini initiative, such as Spain and the Netherlands. Cyprus has even suggested that it might be strengthened.
Several Member States have obviously insisted on respecting competition principles and avoiding market distortions, as has been the case with Sweden. In this respect, the issue of opening the market was raised again by Sweden, but also by Ireland, who proposed it should remain open to third country players for non-critical technologies.
On the international scene, the need to strengthen cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) has been emphasised on numerous occasions, notably by Croatia, Luxembourg, Austria, Hungary and Germany. Several delegations highlighted the role of the UN in developing standards in relation to space traffic management.
Regarding secure connectivity, issues related to cyber-resilience and quantum technology were also mentioned several times. In terms of the budget, several delegations insisted that the financing of the constellation should not be at the expense of existing programmes, such as Copernicus and Galileo. Several ministers also emphasised the importance of avoiding duplication and the complementarity dimension of the future programme.
The European Commission, through the Director General of DG DEFIS, Timo Pesonen, gave assurances that secure connectivity included a quota for SMEs, that cooperation with ESA was close and constant, and that EU actions in the field of space traffic management should also be deployed in the appropriate UN fora.
Copernicus 2035 and STM. On the same day, Member States adopted two sets of conclusions, one on the future of the Copernicus 2035 Earth observation programme (see EUROPE 12958/13) and the roadmap on space traffic management (see EUROPE 12958/24).
Delay in the implementation of new European launchers. During his speech to the ministers, Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton expressed some annoyance at the delays facing the implementation of European launchers (see EUROPE 12592/34). “It is absolutely essential that companies that work in the public interest, our suppliers, are no longer left behind! It will no longer be acceptable”, he said.
A name for the ‘secure connectivity’ constellation. In the margins of the EU Council, the European Commission today launched a competition to name the future constellation. The deadline has been set for 31 July. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)