Space

3.5 Develop international partnerships

Basic orientations

Space is a privileged instrument for developing international co-operations. Exploration and use of space, by nature, are global ventures. Numerous collaborations have been built up in many fields of space activity. Strong European capabilities in space technologies and applications are essential prerequisites for ensuring balanced and successful international partnerships.

International co-operation within a European space policy is not simply a matter of scientific collaboration on technologies and applications. It should be in function of serving the widest-possible spectrum of the EUs objectives including economic and social development, protection of the environment, education, health, science, technology and security.

Areas for Co-operation

Existing areas of co-operation such as human spaceflight, solar system exploration, space and Earth sciences could be extended into new fields of applications for improving infrastructures, social development and security in their broadest sense. These would include satellite telecommunications, Earth observation and navigation. During the Green Paper process expressions of interest were received from a number of countries.

Partnerships

Partnerships are based on common values to meet common challenges. They can be essential for achieving policy goals. Three main strands of co-operation can be pursued:

• Co-operation with space powers especially in areas where Europe is unlikely to achieve its goal by acting alone. These collaborations would be coherent with the EU Member States and ESAs bilateral activities with third parties.

The long-standing space partnership with the United States is a valuable one. Although the US space policy aims at establishing US space dominance, this partnership could be further deepened in a number of areas including space science, human spaceflight and sustainable development. However, the possibilities may well be altered by the ongoing revision of US space policy involving fundamental questions to do with the future of space access systems and human spaceflight. Many of these questions should be answered by the end of 2003.

Recognising Russias outstanding experience and capabilities in the space sector, Europe should extend current areas of co-operation, which include joint research and development in the field of launcher technology, and build a new strategic and long-range partnership with the Russian Federation. This would have to be based on clear long-term commitments and should build on the framework of the existing Partnership and Co-operation Agreement.

The most recent fruit of Europes space co-operation with Russia is the agreement that will bring the medium-class launcher Soyuz to the Guyana Space Centre from 2006. Set up and maintained jointly by ESA and the French government, the Centre already accommodates Ariane 5 infrastructure (owned by ESA) and provides range facilities and systems funded by the French space agency, CNES. Since the Soyuz infrastructure is crucial for collaboration with Russia, it could be appropriate for the Union to cover a share of the relevant costs of the Space Centre.

A diversified approach to co-operation needs to be a key element in Europes policy so as to maximise benefits and minimise risks. Candidates for co-operation among other established or emerging space powers are the Peoples Republic of China, India and Japan. Ukraine deserves particular attention as a country with a recognised space sector covered by the EUs Wider Europe policy initiative.

China in particular will emerge as a major space player, mastering the full range of space technologies and is likely to generate the worlds largest demand for space infrastructures, which partly explains its recent commitment to the GALILEO programme. In addition, the number of nations using satellites for peaceful purposes is growing and space co-operation should be on the agenda of bilateral discussions between them and the Union.

• Linking up new Member States and neighbouring regions

This co-operation must embrace as a matter of priority those countries about to join the Union and those with whom the Union is promoting a range of neighbourhood policies, notably the Wider Europe approach to relations with eastern and southern neighbours and the related Barcelona initiative with countries of North Africa and the Middle East. Both frameworks offer scope for using space applications in support of economic and social development and environmental protection.

• Co-operation with developing countries

The benefits of space should also be made available to developing countries. Applications such as Earth observation and telecommunication could help them down the path of sustainable economic and social development. In this context, the EU should examine potential co-operation frameworks with international development banks and UN agencies in order to identify where space assets can best support a developing countrys development strategies and to implement such initiatives in a globally comprehensive and efficient manner. Africa will be considered as one of the geographical priorities in the context of Johannesburg Action plan.

Acting in the Wider International Dimension

The strength of Europes capabilities is increasingly enabling it to act as a key space player at the global level. The EU will have to take responsibility for defining and representing the external dimension of the European space programme.

At the Earth Observation Summit in Washington in July 2003, Europe offered to co-operate with participating states and international organisations to develop a 10-year strategy to improve and sustain global Earth observation systems. This followed on from the Johannesburg Summit in 2002 and the G-8 Evian Summit in 2003 which recognised the role of Earth observation and the use of satellite technology for monitoring the atmosphere, land and oceans to produce high-quality data for dissemination to all, particularly the developing countries.

The strategy for Earth observation being defined by the GMES initiative should serve as a basis for co-operation in support of the commitments Europe has made in these global fora. Furthermore, Europe is well placed to significantly contribute to global climate observing systems for which space represents a crucial technology.

Lastly, through its membership of international organisations such as in the United Nations, the EU should participate in initiatives relevant to its space objectives and ensure an appropriate contribution to the development of new global rules and standards.

Recommended Actions

• The European Commission should develop, benefiting from its collaboration with ESA, a Strategy for international space co-operation for the next decade with particular emphasis on supporting the EUs CFSP and sustainable development strategies; an international conference on space should be organised before the end of 2004;
• The EU should maintain and develop its long-standing partnership with the US and build a strategic partnership with the Russian Federation (including the support for Soyuz at the Guyane Space Centre); it should also contribute to provide a better information to policy makers in the developing countries.