Council Resolution of 16 November 2000 on a European space strategy
Date: 2000-11-16
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: European Space Agency, European Union, competitiveness, research and development, technical committee (EU)

C 371/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

23.12.2000

COUNCIL RESOLUTION

of 16 November 2000

on a European space strategy

(2000/C 371/02)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

GIVEN the achievements of the space industry in Europe and its
present level of excellence,

RECALLING the Council Resolution of 22 June 1998 on the
reinforcement of
the synergy between the European Space
Agency and the European Community (1), adopted in parallel
by the ESA Council, the Council Resolution of 2 December
1999 on developing a coherent European space strategy (2),
asking the Commission to prepare,
together with the
European Space Agency (ESA),
a communication on a
European space strategy, and the ministerial Resolutions of
the ESA Council of 11 and 12 May 1999,

WELCOMING the positive response to that request, in the form
of a single document jointly drawn up by the Commission and
the ESA Executive, identifying the major issues at stake in the
space industry for Europe,

BEARING IN MIND the ESA Council Resolution of 16 November
2000,

RECALLING the European Parliament Resolution of 18 May
2000 concerning a coherent approach for space,

HAVING REGARD to the Global Monitoring for Environment
and Security (GMES) initiative,

BEARING IN MIND the present definition phase
autonomous
radionavigation
(Galileo),

European

satellite

an
for
system

REAFFIRMS the strategic nature of space and the need, on the
basis of the major achievements of the last thirty years, to
conduct an overall space policy reflecting Member States’
political ambitions and responding to the challenges of
RECOGNISES that, with this in
European integration and
view, a sustained political commitment is required in order
to pursue such a policy,

(1) RECOGNISES that the space strategy must take account of
developments in European society’s use of satellite systems

(1) OJ C 224, 17.7.1998, p. 1.
(2) OJ C 375, 24.12.1999, p. 1.

in areas such as communications, navigation and earth
monitoring; AGREES that
society’s
the needs of scientific research and
growing demand,
the
the
industrial
strategy should be developed along the three lines
identified in the Commission communication, i.e.:

requirements of

competitiveness

in order

to meet

(cid:151) strengthening the foundation for space activities,

(cid:151) enhancing scientific knowledge,

(cid:151) reaping the benefits for markets and society:

TO THAT END THE COUNCIL:

(2) RECOGNISES the respective roles of governments,

the
European Union and the European Space Agency (ESA)
in supporting and consolidating research and development
work in connection with space systems as well as the need
for Europe to have a technological base and the related
operational infrastructure enabling it to hold its own in
global competition.

(3) RECOGNISES the basic need for guaranteed access to space
and considers it to be a major strategic aim for Europe to
maintain the competitiveness of
its launchers and of
related infrastructure.

(4) NOTING the standard of scientific research on space in
Europe, which has already made it possible to develop
the trans-
many forms of cooperation, particularly at
atlantic level, RECOGNISES the need to ensure consistency
of European research policy, especially by way of inter-
national cooperation, and the need to press ahead with
in order to gain a better
space science programmes,
the solar system, our
understanding of
planet,
surroundings and its
its
climate.

the universe,
interaction with its

together with the ESA,

in the development and operation of

(5) TAKES NOTE of the growing involvement of the private
space
sector
restructuring; CALLS ON the
activities and industrial
to look into
Commission,
in the
conditions
space industry in Europe, in particular by strengthening
public-private partnership; HIGHLIGHTS to this end the
special
and
medium-sized businesses, equipment manufacturers and
subcontractors in general.

stimulating private investment

importance

to small

attached

to be

for

23.12.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 371/3

(6) HIGHLIGHTS the strategic issue of control of information
technology and ENCOURAGES the Commission to consider
to what extent Community policies can provide an
environment
satellite
communication systems to the information society and
promoting RTD projects in this area in conjunction
with the ESA and European applications
systems
operators.

contribution of

facilitating the

(9) AGREES that, in order to achieve the above objectives and
implement a European space strategy, the Commission
and the ESA should seek to arrive at an efficient
framework for cooperation whereby the ESA acts as the
and
for
implementing
procurement of the space segment and ground segment
involved in the European Community’s initiatives, giving
the Union access to expertise, including the network of
technical centres coordinated by the ESA.

development

agency

the

(7) NOTING the importance of satellite data in managing the
environment and regional planning,
in safeguarding
human life by managing the consequences of disasters,
in monitoring risks and in improving civil security, and
noting the need to develop, without delay, operational or
pre-operational application services, ENCOURAGES the
GMES initiative to monitor and protect the environment,
enabling Europe to obtain all the necessary resources to
assess and watch over such matters; accordingly CALLS ON
the Commission, together with the ESA and the Member
States, to complete the outline for this initiative, starting
from the needs of users and civil society, so that specific
implementing proposals can be drawn up by the end of
June 2001.

(8) NOTING the major technological and economic issues at
stake in bringing into operation a satellite radionavigation
system, REITERATES the strategic importance of the Galileo
project and the need to take a decision on this matter by
the end of 2000 and to complete preparations for that
purpose; RECOMMENDS in that connection the estab-
lishment, for the development of that programme, of a
single, tightly knit body, with clearly defined roles for the
ESA and the Commission respectively, to take charge of it
and be accountable to the Member States.

TO THAT END THE COUNCIL:

(10) REQUESTS the Commission to set up, as soon as possible,
in cooperation with the ESA and by the end of 2000 at
the latest, a joint high-level Task Force involving the
Commission and the ESA Executive. In close consultation
with the Member States,
that Task Force,
whose composition should make it possible to integrate
the various Community policies with the space strategy,
will be to develop further the European space strategy and
produce proposals for its implementation.

the role of

(11) RECOMMENDS that in the work of the Task Force account
be taken of developments regarding the European security
and defence policy.

(12) URGES the Commission, together with the ESA, to forge
ahead with the European space strategy accordingly and
report to the European Parliament, the Council of the
European Union and the Council of the ESA at the end
of 2001 on initial activities and progress achieved.