Paris, 25 September 2006 − “Thanks to those with vision, both in politics and industry, Europe has capabilities which make it a space power. However this may not always be the case in the future”. This was stressed by Jean-Pierre Masseret (France, Socialist group), President of the Interparliamentary European Security and Defence Assembly (WEU Assembly) during the colloquy on space, defence and European security organised jointly by the WEU Assembly and the European Interparliamentary Space Conference from 19 to 22 September in Kourou (French Guiana), in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), the French space agency CNES and Arianespace.

The colloquy was attended by numerous members of European national parliaments, as well as by representatives of the European Parliament, the EU Military Staff and the EU Satellite Centre, alongside leaders of Europe’s space industry. The latter all stressed that it was urgent to take the political decisions needed to promote more and better investment, without which Europe would be unable to maintain its position as a space power in the years to come.

According to the President of the Assembly, Jean-Pierre Masseret, “space makes a vital contribution to defence strategy. We must put it at the service of the vital interests of a powerful Europe − one that does not see its own future in terms of hegemony or stand in contradiction to transatlantic ties. Tomorrow Europe must continue to be a world player that is respected and worthy of respect. For this to be the case Europe must be a political actor, not simply an economic partner. […] Parliamentarians have a part to play in persuading governments just how vital a genuine European space policy − one that encourages progress in science and technology and security − will be for Europe’s citizens over the next 20 years”.

Edward O’Hara (UK MP, Socialist Group), the Chairman of the WEU Assembly’s Technological and Aerospace Committee, stressed the need to “create an integrated European space surveillance network […] Such a system would be dual-use”. He underlined the need for Europe to achieve “self-sufficiency in cooperation with the United States and other countries”, pointing out that it was up to the Europeans to decide on any duplication that may be necessary in relation to the US.

François Auque, CEO of Astrium, launched an appeal to parliamentarians: “you are one of the drivers of European space policy. It is necessary to put an end to slow decision-making processes, to endless reports with no practical follow-up and to compromises that reconcile individual interests at the expense of the common interest. Europe was founded on democracy and peace. But these come at a price. All it would cost is five euros per European citizen per year. If we do not willingly pay that price today we will have to pay it tomorrow in a way that we may not have chosen ourselves”.