The EU is increasingly a global actor. After enlargements, the EU’s strategic influence has increased. This requires reflection, adaptation and creation of the necessary instruments, including space policy.

Space is a strategic industrial sector for growth and employment, and thus part of the Growth and Employment strategy. Space applications underpin economic activity and crucial government services, taking their significance beyond the research environment. Their effectiveness depends on integration with terrestrial systems, to exploit the comparative advantage of each. Their benefits are spread across Europe. New applications markets will be driven by innovation, in particular through SMEs.

Space-based science and applications play an important role in strengthening the competitiveness of the knowledge-based society in Europe. Major successful space research missions under European leadership have placed ESA and its Member States, the European science community and both manufacturing and services industries at the forefront. Scientific and industrial space research is a strong driving force for new technology developments with many subsequent applications of benefit to society and the environment. Space is an asset of European integration, not only through its technical capacities but also through the global adventure and challenge it represents for Europe.

European security policy is developing rapidly. Space based situation awareness and reaction capability will play a substantial role in this policy. The differentiation between defence infrastructure and internal security infrastructure and systems is becoming blurred and common use needs to be clarified. The Council of the EU has recognised that space assets could contribute both to making the EU more capable in the field of crisis management and to fighting other security threats. It has therefore approved the idea that identified and agreed upon ESDP requirements should be reflected in the global EU space policy and European space programme.

Today, European companies are key actors in the world-wide commercial market of satellite manufacturing, launch services and satellite operators; Europe has a sound technology base; and scientific excellence has been established. All this has been achieved with public expenditure in space representing six times less than that of the US. The European space sector needs to maintain excellence at an affordable cost.

Member States expressed their wish to see an increased EU dimension in space policy at the first ‘Space Council’ in November 2004. They recognised the possibilities for space activities to contribute to European policy objectives in a number of areas, while the implementation should draw on the existing European capabilities, notably the European and National Space Agencies.

Funding

Bringing about the full potential of scientific, technological, industrial as well as economic and strategic benefits of space will require sustained funding commitments. In addition to existing ESA and national funding lines, EU funding will prove crucial. Given the relatively limited volume of public funding available for space-related activities when compare to e.g. the US, it is essential to make the most efficient use possible of resources and achieve value for money.

The EU must take into account that a large part of the infrastructure which Europe comes to rely on is owned by its Member States and not necessarily shared on an EU-level, particularly in defence-related systems, that there are gaps which will not be met by current plans and that, even for existing and planned satellites, data interfaces are not always harmonised. Galileo and Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) are the currently most advanced applications projects. Space is increasingly a key element for key EU policies, including transport, agriculture, environment, security and information society, integrated with terrestrial components in monitoring and communications networks and services.