on a joint European space strategy: security and defence aspects

The Assembly,

1. Considering that the European space sector today has technical expertise, a large scientific community and an efficient space industry but that there is no common political will to make the most of these assets;
2. Stressing that it is imperative for Europe to have a space component and to consolidate its status as a world power by acquiring an autonomous capability in this area;
3. Noting that the European space endeavour is based on a series of different choices and national programmes rather than on any European policy as such;
4. Recalling the huge amount of productive work done over many years by the European Space Agency and also by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre more recently;
5. Recalling also WEU's endeavours in the form of studies on the development of a European space-based observation system;
6. Commending the WEU Satellite Centre on the sterling work it has done not only in terms of its operational efficiency but also as regards the constant improvements it has made in its techniques and procedures notwithstanding budget constraints;
7. Considering that the European Union's resolve to deploy a rapid reaction force able to carry out Petersberg missions under the command of a joint Military Staff requires, among other things, a thorough overhaul of Europe's intelligence assets;
8. Recalling that in this new framework the WEU Satellite Centre, which is to be transferred to the European Union on 1 January 2002, will have to carry out new tasks;
9. Stressing that the Centre's current status as a service provider is compatible with the future missions it may be assigned and that it would be eminently sensible for it also to acquire communications, navigation, real-time data transmission and, in the longer term, early warning and electronic surveillance capabilities;
10. Considering nonetheless that it is imperative for the Centre to maintain the dual nature of its missions and preserve its capacity to provide services for the civilian sector;
11. Welcoming the document on a European strategy for space drawn up jointly by the European Commission and the European Space Agency;
12. Noting with satisfaction that ESA intends to share the EU's growing interest in a Common European Security and Defence Policy;
13. Observing that, with the sole exception of Helios I, European military satellite programmes have so far been confined to the national framework;
14. Recalling the studies carried out by the WEU Space Group on the development of a European space-based observation system and the possibility of WEU's participation in such a system at a multilateral European level;
15. Welcoming the decision of the EU Council of transport ministers to go ahead with the Galileo navigation satellite programme,

RECOMMENDS THAT THE COUNCIL

1. Request the WEU member and observer countries, in their capacity as EU member states, to ensure that the European Union acts as coordinator for Europe's space activities (in terms of observation, communications, navigation and early warning satellite systems) including the military component, taking into account the following factors:
   1. in the modern world the use of space in economic, industrial, political and military terms has become an indispensable strategic necessity;
   2. in the context of the Common European Security and Defence Policy a proven space capability is of crucial importance;
   3. the EU must lose no time in defining Europe's operational requirements;
   4. the EU must have independent decision-making procedures;
   5. the EU must decide whether to participate in a multilateral European space-based observation system under development;
   6. the European countries have so far been unable to reach agreement on a joint military satellite communications system;
   7. Europe must achieve interoperability with its transatlantic allies;
   8. the need to study Russia's offer of cooperation on satellite programmes and more specifically the proposal it submitted to NATO regarding a joint space centre initially for the purpose of identifying and monitoring ballistic launches and, in the longer term, intercepting non-strategic launches;
   9. the need for a study of European requirements with a view to the possible creation of a body able to manage information provided by satellites, including the acquisition, management and retransmission of data;
   10. the creation of a space group should be envisaged, similar to the group which used to exist in WEU; it would be answerable to the Political and Security Committee and responsible for coordinating those aspects of European security and defence that concern the use of space;
   11. care must be taken to avoid an excessive time lag between a declaration of intent to carry out a space programme and its actual completion, as this does nothing to promote industrial competitiveness and also makes it difficult to match projects to actual needs;
   12. greater coordination should be sought with the defence aerospace industry which should be more involved in analysing the environment;
2. Further request the WEU member and observer countries, in their capacity as EU member states, to ensure that once the Satellite Centre has been transferred to the European Union, it is given a status enabling it to adjust its work to the requirements of the Common European Security and Defence Policy by pursuing the following objectives:
   1. a redefinition of the Satellite Centre's mission that both confirms the dual nature of its tasks and the importance of the civilian market in European space strategy, and also makes provision for the establishment of a military unit within the Centre's organisational structure given that intelligence and battlefield management missions require special equipment and appropriately trained staff;
   2. giving the Centre with the resources it needs to provide both commercial services and markets for satellite operators and European space companies, and to optimise the use of commercial systems;
   3. greater independence for the Centre so that it can take autonomous decisions regarding certain missions and priorities;
   4. widening the range of the Centre's tasks so that it can begin to develop a battlefield management capability which requires:
      • the use of remote-sensing, meteorological and communications tools, as well as electronic surveillance and, in the longer term, early-warning capabilities;
      • the creation of an intelligence capability with a long-term view to setting up a European intelligence service;
      • authorisation to programme a satellite observation system, recourse to all commercial satellites available on the market and occasional access to designated military satellites;
      • a substantial increase in funding and both civil and military staff;
      • institutionalising cooperation between the Centre, the Joint Research Centre, ESA and the space industry;
   5. guaranteed access to the Centre for WEU's associate members and associate partners subject to conditions to be decided jointly;
   6. strengthening cooperation with NATO, in particular at the level of the information transmission chain, the command chain, and utilisation and equipment standards, and also with other organisations such as the United Nations, OSCE, etc;
   7. ensuring that the Centre comes under the direct command of the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, in close cooperation with the Political and Security Committee and the European Union Military Staff;
   8. safeguarding the rights of Satellite Centre staff.

      14 Adopted without amendment by the Assembly on 20 June 2001 (sixth sitting).