Europe is “fragile” in space, Emmanuel Macron told the first International Space Summit, held at the Grand Palais in Paris on Thursday. The French president wants the European Union to take charge of the fix.
“The European Union must fully assume political leadership over an ambitious, clear and demanding space policy,” he said. Space, he argued, is tied ever more closely to sovereignty, security and economic competitiveness. He called for “genuine technological independence” and for Europe to keep the freedom to pick its partners for critical capabilities. Europe, he added, must rank among the leading players in communications and artificial intelligence.
Launch capacity drew his sharpest line. Europe should be able to put several hundred metric tons into orbit every year at competitive cost, Macron said. “Europe cannot invest billions in these rockets and then purchase launches only sporadically,” he said, as quoted by Anadolu.
He also warned that “space is no longer a sanctuary” and asked for stronger international governance. France, he said, will invest 20 billion euros in its space sector through 2030, with another 40 million euros going through the French space agency CNES to an observation program.
Von der Leyen’s numbers
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen backed the call for cooperation. “To remain at the forefront, Europe must act together, invest at scale, and turn our market into a competitive advantage,” she said.
She said the global space economy is expected to nearly triple, from around $630 billion now to $1.8 trillion by 2035. The Commission has proposed 131 billion euros for defense, security and space in the EU’s next long-term budget, five times what is currently available.
She listed the threats: signal jamming, spoofing and cyberattacks on satellite networks. “Our security on Earth increasingly depends on our security in space,” she said. The EU is developing a European Space Shield to strengthen defenses and close critical capability gaps.
