Securing Europe as a world space power

"Only a strong and united Europe will be able to revitalise and relaunch our common space endeavour. As it is, the new Space Programme is a perfect example of what strong European cooperation can achieve", said Massimiliano Salini MEP, the European Parliament’s Spokesman on the Space Programme for 2021 to 2027.

"And as such, the successful cooperation on space policy serves as an antidote to the divisive, nationalist and populist forces that aim to undermine the European project.”

Europe is the second space power in the world, giving jobs to more than 230,000 people and creating up to €62 billion in value, thanks to a strong cross-country cooperation.

“But in order to keep and develop its capabilities, effort is required. In an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment, investing more in space is an EPP Group priority to preserve Europe’s leadership, competitiveness, sustainability and autonomy in this strategic domain in the future”, continued Salini.

The new Space Programme drawn up by the European Parliament bets on Europe and aims at strengthening its global leadership in the domains of Earth observation, navigation and technological research. The programme should get a major injection of €16.9 billion in the next EU long-term budget (MFF) for 2021-2027.

“In the coming years, we have to foster an ever greater cooperation between the excellences in the various Member States. The Copernicus Earth observation and the Galileo navigation satellite systems are concrete examples of a great success that stimulates the development of new applications of services such as drones, navigation, self-driving cars and helps to monitor CO2 emissions to name just a few examples”, he said. He also stressed that these kinds of services risk falling under the control of the USA and China if Europe doesn’t step up.

Furthermore, the European Space Programme should foster an autonomous access to space through the aggregation of launches, the development of alternative satellite launching technologies, and supporting the ground infrastructures.