Strasbourg, 14/07/2008 (Agence Europe) - With the adoption on Thursday 10 July of the report by German Christian Democrat Karl von Wogau, the European Parliament stresses the importance of the space dimension for the security of the European Union and the need for a common approach for defending European interests in space.
In the report approved by an overwhelming majority of 483 to 99 and 20 abstentions, the Parliament notes the inclusion of a legal base for European space policy in the Lisbon Treaty. It welcomes the opportunity given to it and to the Council to lay down, under the ordinary legislative procedure, the measures needed to shape a European Space Programme. It calls on the Commission to submit to it and the Council an appropriate proposal for such measures, together with a Communication relating to the establishment of appropriate relations with the European Space Agency; and also welcomes the possibilities of permanent structured cooperation in security and defence matters and enhanced cooperation in the civilian area.
The Parliament calls on the EU member states to pool and exchange geospatial intelligence required for an independent Community threat assessment. It urges that the European Union Satellite Centre (EUSC) be fully developed to make full use of its potential. It also recommends the urgent conclusion of agreements between the European Union Satellite Centre and the EU member states to provide imagery available to ESDP operation and force commanders while ensuring complementarity with Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) observation capacities and derived security-related information. In this respect, it welcomes the Tactical Imagery Exploitation Station project, run jointly by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Union Satellite Centre. It recommends that the EU develop a common concept for geospatial intelligence, creating conditions for involvement of the EUSC in the planning for each ESDP operation requiring space-based observation and space-based intelligence. It also recommends that the EUSC establish a secure communication link in support of ESDP operations not only with the Operations Headquarters (OHQ) based in the EU but also with the Force Headquarters (FHQ) in the deployment region. Furthermore, it suggests that the EU explore the possibility of a financial contribution to the EUSC from the EU budget in order to provide sufficient funds to meet the increasing needs of ESDP operations. The Parliament urges Union member states having access to the various types of radar, optical and weather observation satellites and reconnaissance systems (Helios, SAR-Lupe, TerraSAR-X, Rapid Eye, Cosmo-Skymed, Pleiades) to make them compatible.; and welcomes the bilateral and multilateral agreements between the leading EU countries (e.g. SPOT, ORFEO, the Helios cooperative framework, the Schwerin agreement and the future MUSIS); and recommends that the MUSIS system be brought within a European framework and financed from the EU budget. The Parliament underlines the necessity of Galileo for autonomous ESDP operations, for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, for Europe's own security and for the Union's strategic autonomy; and notes, in particular, that its public-regulated service will be vital in the field of navigation, positioning and timing, not least in order to avoid unnecessary risks.
The Parliament underlines the need for secure satellite-supported communication for ESDP operations (EU Military Staff, EU Headquarters, deployable headquarters) and EU member states' deployments under UN, NATO and other similar organisations. It requests that the current and future satellite telecommunication systems at the disposal of the EU member states (e.g. Skynet, Syracuse, Sicral, SATCOMBw, Spainsat) be interoperable in order to provide for cost reduction. It supports the cooperative development of a Software-Defined Radio (SDR) by the Commission and the European Defence Agency. It recommends that savings be achieved by shared use of the ground infrastructure supporting different national telecommunications systems; supports the possibility of funding future European satellite telecommunications systems supporting ESDP operations from the EU budget; and supports the creation of a European space surveillance system leading to space situational awareness (including, for example, GRAVES and TIRA) to monitor the space infrastructure, space debris and, possibly, other threats.
The Parliament deplores the fact that the EU member states do not have access to instant data on ballistic missile launches around the world. It expresses support, therefore, for projects leading towards satellite-based early warning against ballistic missile launches (such as the French “Spiral”). Furthermore, it calls for information acquired through these future systems to be available to all EU member states in order to protect their population and to support possible countermeasures, as well as to serve in the verification of compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and for the purposes of ESDP operations and safeguarding Europe's security interests. It points out that it is necessary to increase the development effort in order for an enhanced Ariane 5 to be available before 2015. It recommends that strategic long-term investment in new European launchers be initiated as soon as possible, in order to keep up with the rising global competition.
The Parliament encourages strong inter-pillar cooperation for space and security, involving all the relevant actors (i.e. the Commission, the Council, the European Defence Agency and the European Union Satellite Centre), in order to safeguard the security policy and data security linked with the ESDP. The European Parliament strongly recommends the promotion of equal access for all EU member states to operational data gathered using space assets under a reinforced ESDP framework. It calls on the European Union to set up an operational budget for space assets that serve to support the ESDP and European security interests. It points out that, as experience has shown, large-scale common projects cannot be properly managed when 27 different national budget authorities applying the principle of “fair return” are involved, and therefore strongly recommends that these projects and programmes be financed from the EU budget. The Parliament calls for the vulnerability of future European satellite systems to be reduced through anti-jamming, shielding, on-orbit servicing, high-orbit and multi-orbital constellation architectures.
The Parliament reiterates the importance of the principle of the use of space for peaceful purposes expressed in the above-mentioned 1967 Outer Space Treaty. It is therefore concerned by the possible future weaponisation of space. It urges that under no circumstances should European space policy contribute to the overall militarisation and weaponisation of space. (O.J./transl.jl)