Europe’s space ministers will be meeting in Brussels on Friday 8 December to discuss issues such as space traffic management and the EU’s future space policy.
According to draft conclusions, ministers should recognise the urgency of developing an EU approach to space traffic management “that covers safety, security and sustainability aspects” at a time when the number of satellites and amount of debris in space is steadily increasing and the resulting space congestion is jeopardising the safety and resilience of EU and Member State space policies and assets.
The ministers are expected to issue a reminder that space traffic management makes an “important contribution” to the EU’s major political priorities, “including the European Green Deal, the EU Digital Transformation, EU technological nondependence, Europe’s autonomous, secure and cost-efficient access to space, the safe and sustainable use of space, and security and resilience”.
The Council should recognise the importance of taking into account both civil and military Space Traffic Management (STM) requirements. The ministers are also expected to emphasise the “importance of preserving the civil nature, political objectives and governance of the EU space programme”.
The Council could advocate strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy through the EU’s Space Situational Awareness and Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST), while preserving an open economy, and ask the EU and its Member States to continue to improve their SST operational capabilities.
In implementing space traffic management initiatives, the Council should emphasise the need to promote the global competitiveness of the European space industry as a whole. It could also encourage the Commission to propose, after close cooperation with the Member States, possible incentive measures to promote the adoption of non-legally binding instruments, developed at national or international level, which should help to strengthen the competitiveness of the European space industry.
Furthermore, according to the ministers, the Commission should work, together with the Member States and in close consultation with the EEAS, to strengthen the safety, security and viability of space activities in the EU.
To see the draft conclusions, go to https://aeur.eu/f/9z9
The future of space policy
The ministers will also discuss “The future EU policy on space in a changing world”, based on a document prepared by the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council.
“In recent years and in the current geopolitical context, a series of risks have emerged that highlight the need to protect EU space assets and to preserve the space-based services that guarantee our collective security and are cornerstones of EU’s strategic autonomy now and in the long term”, the Presidency document states.
The discussion will focus on issues such as the sustainability of space, security and defence, and the EU’s strategic autonomy.
The ministers are expected to discuss the impact of the ‘EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence’ on the EU’s future space policy, and how to integrate security and defence aspects into the various components of the EU’s space programme in the future, which would remain under civilian governance. They should also consider the role of the EU in guaranteeing long-term autonomous access to space for the Union, beyond its role as a user.
To see the Spanish Presidency document, go to https://aeur.eu/f/9yt (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)