Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-01-28-Speech-3-167"
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"en.20040128.13.3-167"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the various matters raised by this oral question bear witness to the growing interest Parliament is showing in the establishment of a European space policy commensurate with the Union’s ambitions.
The Commission is also drawing up a policy on access to space and launchers, for which the installation of the Soyuz launcher at the Guiana space centre is a specific example of the strategic cooperation that can be established between Russia and Europe. The final decision on this programme is expected to be taken at the European Space Agency’s Council meeting on 4 February.
In the White Paper, the Commission suggests that the Union should be able to be involved in keeping launch installations operational and in funding work and research with a view to defining a future space transport system.
Finally, in the White Paper, the Commission suggests continuing the activities connected with the international space station, because by so doing the Europeans will improve their experience in the field of prolonged stays in space. In this connection, I was pleased to hear Mr Savary’s suggestion, which of course concerned Europe as a whole, that astronauts from the future accession states should be involved. The international station may also be considered an essential intermediate stage before going on to explore the solar system.
You mentioned President Bush’s statement. It requires in-depth analysis. It does of course have consequences that affect us given the investment agreed by the European side, in particular to keep the international station accessible to European astronauts. We should not therefore sell the whole process without receiving assurances that that process, to which we are very committed, will continue. You also know – and this gives food for thought – that the European satellite that is observing Mars has obtained remarkable results, since you have seen the photographs which show that there might be ice on the moon. This was achieved using European technology, even though, sadly, Beagle has not managed similar success. But the spectral analysis of Mars is a leading European technology of which we can be proud.
Finally, building on that, there is also the idea of seeing how we envisage manned flights, so that we are not left out of the race towards those objectives either. In cooperation with the ESA, the Commission will in 2004 be setting up a group of wise men that should enable the European Union to define its position on manned space flight.
These, in a few words, are the most important aspects. I am truly pleased to conclude by telling you that the Commission is including space and space research in its thinking on the future financial perspectives that are at the heart of the Commission’s debate and which Parliament will, on 10 February I think, be the first to know. We will be giving the first broad outlines of the financial perspectives. And when it comes to financial perspectives, it is clear that research and innovation programmes must have their funding increased, among other things to sustain a space policy that will be crucial for Europe’s technological progress and its place in the world.
I want to pay tribute to Parliament for its unwavering support on these matters and I want to say that it was thanks to this encouragement that the Commission launched a wide-ranging debate in Europe on the future of the space sector, a debate in which some Members of Parliament were directly involved. Following that debate, the Commission adopted a White Paper, some of the important actions from which are raised in your question.
In order to develop space technology, the Commission proposes increasing public expenditure in the field, once a master plan has been drawn up setting out all the missing technologies, the players concerned and a timetable of measures. The sixth framework programme is already able to contribute to this field, in particular through the priority given to ‘aeronautics and space’ and to information society technologies. The Commission will be looking into how to continue this form of development in the next framework programme.
So far as access to space is concerned, the Commission, in close cooperation with the European Space Agency, supports the implementation of a series of measures, including most importantly the improvement of the launching service offered from the Guiana space centre. This action has already been adopted as a project under the Quickstart growth initiative and was presented and adopted at the last European Council. Definition work on the financial arrangements has begun in liaison with the European Investment Bank.
Multilateral talks have begun with the other space powers, which should result in the proposal of a regulatory framework that will be acceptable at international level.
Finally, the Commission is looking into direct involvement in the maintenance of the basic terrestrial infrastructures for the future European space programme.
So far as Galileo is concerned, the potential role of the private sector should be that of final operator following a selection procedure conducted by the Galileo joint undertaking. The Commission will also be entering into bilateral negotiations with India. And a framework agreement has just been signed between the European Community and China.
Within the next few days, that is on 3 February, the Commission should be adopting a communication based on a detailed report drawn up with the European Space Agency and the Member States drawing the lessons from the initial phase and setting out an action plan for the ‘Global Monitoring for Environment and Security’ (GMS) initiative.
For the launch of the subsequent deployment phase, the Commission proposes that a formal coordination structure, possibly drawing on the experience with Galileo, be progressively put in place. The Envisat satellite is universally admired for its environmental monitoring ability and is a marvellous example of earth observation, in the field of which we are in the vanguard of development. Until this structure is put in place for GMS there will be a more lightweight interim solution, as provided in the framework agreement between the European Community and the European Space Agency. In this connection, I would like to point out the importance of Parliament’s opinion for concluding this agreement between the European Community and the ESA."@en1
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