The EU Council on Tuesday 23 May called for a European approach to air traffic management as space orbits are rapidly becoming congested due to the growing number of space objects (see EUROPE 13147/17).
“Safety, security and sustainability are essential to achieve a fair and sustainable use of space”, underscores the EU Council adopted conclusions on the ‘Fair and Sustainable use of Space’.
The EU Council calls on the Member States and the Commission to promote the implementation of mitigation measures to minimise future space debris and to promote research activities on debris remediation in order to manage the existing amount of debris, while enhancing European competitiveness.
It encourages them to consider requirements to ensure safe, secure and sustainable space activities and to consider incentives to encourage satellite service providers to use non-legally binding instruments developed at the national or international level to promote the sustainable use of space.
The EU Council also invites them to exchange best practices on launch licensing, safety procedures and measures to ensure sustainable use of space under national legislation in order to establish consistent approaches among EU Member States.
See the conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/70y (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)