1 EUROPEAN SPACE POLICY
(25038)
14886/03
COM(03)673 + ADD 1
| Commission White Paper - Space: a new European frontier for an expanding Union - An action plan for implementing the European space policy.
|
| Legal base | —
|
| Document originated | 11 November 2003
|
| Deposited in Parliament |
15 November 2003 |
| Department | Trade and Industry
|
| Basis of consideration |
EM of 28 November 2003 |
| Previous Committee Reports
| None; but see (24226) 5707/03: HC 63-xxx (2002-03), paragraph 15 (16 July 2003) and (24945) 12858/03: HC63-xxxv (2002-03), paragraph 13 (29 October 2003)
|
| To be discussed in Council
| 11 March 2004 |
| Committee's assessment | Politically important
|
| Committee's decision | For debate in European Standing Committee C
|
Background
1.1 In January 2003 the Commission published its Green
Paper, "Towards a European Space Policy". This was followed
by a period of consultation which was completed in June 2003,
when the Government submitted and published its response.[1]
The document
1.2 The Commission has now published a White Paper, which
outlines five policy objectives for the EU and suggests space
activities that could be used to help achieve them. The objectives
and examples of helpful space activities suggested are:
- stronger economic growth, job creation and industrial competitiveness
— satellite telecommunications might deliver broadband access
to 20% of the EU's population;
- a successful enlargement of the Union —
the broadband possibility could contribute to closing a "digital
divide" between existing and new Member States;
- sustainable development — Earth observation
satellites for measuring environmental impact;
- stronger security and defence for all —
providing autonomous access to reliable global information for
decision-making in the Common Foreign and Security and European
Security and Defence Policies; and
- fighting poverty and aiding development —
use of Earth observation satellites and global positioning systems
in such matters as protecting soils or monitoring crop development
and forecasting food production.
1.3 The document aims to build on the Green
Paper, the Community/European Space Agency (ESA) Framework Agreement[2]
and the draft Constitutional Treaty produced by the Convention
on the Future of Europe (which would make space a shared competence).
It recommends increasing European involvement in the space sector,
consolidating the existing scientific and technical basis of space
activities and updating the institutional structure of both the
Community and the ESA in order to give the EU greater power and
responsibility in space activities. The White Paper also advocates
doubling European (EU/ESA and Member States') space expenditure
by 2010. It emphasises security and defence as areas of under-investment,
but also seeks to promote comprehensive independence in space
systems and growth in scientific research. This all implies a
growing budget overall and a transfer of activities to Community
competence, notably in relation to security and defence.
1.4 The White Paper concludes with a recommendation
that "The issues — as a whole — raised in this
White Paper should now be discussed and decided upon in the relevant
European institutions". We understand that it is likely that
the Commission will propose Council Conclusions on space policy
for adoption at the Competitiveness Council in March 2004.
The Government's view
1.5 The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of
State for Science and Innovation, Department of Trade and Industry
(Lord Sainsbury) says of the policy implications:
"The UK is a strong supporter of the development
of a common European space policy, and has been a major driver
of the development of a closer working relationship between the
EC, as a user of space resources, and the ESA, the technology
providers. Such co-operation offers a common European approach,
avoids duplication and offers a more secure industrial environment.
The success so far of EC/ESA co-operation in developing the European
Space Strategy and in the field of external relations with third
parties is promising. The UK welcomed the European Space Strategy
("Europe and Space: Turning to a new Chapter")[3],
published in September 2000. This was endorsed by the European
Union and ESA Councils on 16 November 2000, the latter chaired
by the UK.
"The UK Government response to the Green
Paper stressed the importance of a user-focused approach in all
areas and was instrumental in achieving the inclusion of a call
for a demand-driven space policy in the Paper. This is entirely
consistent with the UK space policy for the past two decades and
the draft UK Space Strategy. There are policy concerns about the
references to defence and about the levels and sources of funding
envisaged in the Paper, which make implicit assumptions about
an increase in the Financial Perspective after 2007.
"The UK welcomes a more active EU space
policy, based on utilisation of space systems, but is extremely
sceptical of the value-added by its potential involvement in launchers,
space science and especially the International Space Station (ISS)
and future human exploration of space. The UK response to the
Green Paper made it clear that there should be no increase in
EU spending on space-related R&D without a demand-driven approach.
"The Paper mentions using space applications
for a common European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). There
is concern that the Commission is seeking to widen its competence
to include ESDP, which remains a matter for Governments. The UK
is also concerned by unqualified references to the dual-use of
civil systems (i.e. the Galileo satellite navigation system).
FCO and MoD are fully engaged in discussions on the White Paper.
"It is in the UK interest for the Commission
to produce a White Paper on space policy and we would not want
the White Paper process to fail. However, there are some concerns
about the issues it raises. It is to be hoped that, when it comes
to making decisions on these proposals, the UK is engaged in the
debate and can encourage those aspects of the European space policy
that are very much in our interest, such as increased EU involvement
in Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES).
"Any decisions about CFSP and increases
to the EU budget will be matters for Member States. There is considerable
scepticism on their parts about many of the proposals. The White
Paper can be seen as setting out the space community's case for
being involved in meeting current and future EU policies in the
longer term; it does not determine whether certain defence policies
become reality and was written more in anticipation of a development
of the role of the EU in defence under the Constitutional Treaty.
Were this to happen, security and defence would nonetheless remain
intergovernmental issues and the Commission's role would remain
limited."
1.6 In relation to the financial implications
the Minister tells us:
"The White Paper has no direct financial
implications, as it does not contain specific proposals for spending.
It is, however, important to bear the points in [the following
paragraph] in mind.
"ESA currently has several 'optional programmes',
in which the UK does not take part, including the Ariane launcher
programme, participation in the International Space Station and
a strategy for manned space exploration. The White Paper proposes
transferring the responsibility for future funding of some of
these space programmes from member states to the EU. This could
eventually mean UK fund[s] (through the EU budget) being allocated
to prestige projects that it has previously avoided as poor value
for money, in both commercial and scientific terms. It will be
important to remain aware of this and to be involved in shaping
European space policy from within."
Conclusion
1.7 We are conscious that this is a comprehensive
statement of the Commission's view of what a European space policy
should consist of, that the UK has long supported the development
of such a policy and that the UK might benefit greatly from an
extensive and properly thought-out policy at the European level.
However we are also conscious that this White Paper raises important
issues and will probably be a significant milestone in the development
of such a policy. We therefore recommend the document for debate
in European Standing Committee C, which should take place before
discussion of the White Paper in the Competitiveness Council in
March 2004.
1.8 We suggest
that amongst the matters Members may wish to discuss are:
- to what extent a comprehensive
space policy is necessary and how real the prospective benefits
are in relation to the Community's wider objectives;
- the threatened encroachment by the Commission
on Member State's defence and security competence;
- the presumptions about possible treaty revisions
as a result of the Inter-Governmental Conference;
- the implied threat to the Council's understanding
of the purely civil role of the GALILEO project;
- the possible budgetary consequences of the
Commission proposals.
1 See headnote. Back
2
See headnote. Back
3
(21697) 12213/00; see HC 23-xxix (1999-2000), paragraph 39 (15
November 2000). Back
|
