Keynote Speech by Commissioner Kubilius at the Perspectives Spatiales

Ladies and gentlemen,

Honourable guests,

It is a great honour and pleasure to speak here today.

Together with Minister Ferracci.

I thank GIFAS for the invitation.

As the European Union's first ever Commissioner for Defence and Space I am very glad to be here.

With you – leaders of the French space industry, from government and business.

Here in France, a country that has been a such a powerful engine for European cooperation in space.

Since the very beginning.

It was here in France – just after the launch of the Soviet Sputnik  satellite, in the late 1950s, that a scientist called Pierre Auger realised:

No single European country alone could compete with the Soviet Union and the United States.

In the space race between those two giants, any single European country would fall behind.

But Pierre Auger knew what we all know:

Working together in Europe, we can catch up. Working together in Europe, we can lead.

Pierre Auger held a first meeting on European space cooperation right here in Paris. In his own home. With fellow scientists from all over Europe.

The result? In the sixties -- the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) and the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO).

Both predecessors of the European Space Agency, established in 1975.

And then: cooperation to strengthen the European Union's role in space.

There are many great French and European achievements in Space.

These are a matter of great pride here in France and in the European Union:

The Ariane launcher.

The European Spaceport in French Guiana.

Where the language of Voltaire counts down to lift off.

Or I should say: décollage.

France's world-class space companies are not only French champions. They are European champions.

You are European champions.

In large part thanks to the French space industry and its cooperation with other European champions, Europe is a Global Space Power.

We have:

Galileo – the best satellite navigation system in the world.

Copernicus – the best Earth observation system in the world.

IRIS2 in the future, the best space-based secure connectivity system in the world.

Thanks to France, Europe is a leading space power.

For now.

If we want to maintain our lead in space, we need to take bold and decisive steps.

We're at the start of a space revolution. It will bring superfast satellite Internet. Super precise navigation and observation.

The 21 century will be the century of space. It will bring the orbital economy, maybe even the lunar economy. Artificial intelligence. Energy. In-space manufacturing. Mining.

The space economy is expected to triple in size.

I want Europe to be a leader in that huge space economy. Europe should increase its share – as identified by Professor Draghi in his report on competitiveness.

It's great that Ariane 6 had its inaugural flight last summer.

And that Vega – C is back on the launchpad.

Access to space is vital for our strategic autonomy.

But we risk falling behind.

Commercial sales are down.

Export is down.

Profits are down.

And this comes at a time when we need space more than ever.

For our security. For our survival.

Space is vital on the battleground.

Satellites help Ukraine. To communicate. To operate drones. To locate, target and destroy the enemy. To ensure surveillance and intelligence.

And space is itself a battleground.

Commercial satellite connections were the first target Russia attacked in the night it invaded Ukraine.

Russia is launching satellites capable of attacking other satellites.

It's clear that space will only become more decisive for defence.

The challenge will no longer be to build a better tank. Or a faster fighter jet.

But a fully connected tank – a fully connected jet.

All connected to each other.

Sending real time information. Both from space and the ground.

Allowing full overview of the battleground.

And instant decisions.

Space will be decisive in the theatre of war.

And space itself will be a decisive theatre of war.

With new threats: anti-satellite weapons. The possibility of orbital weapons. With enormous potential for destruction.

Europe is a global space power. Our space assets protect us.

But we must not fall behind.

The Russian military industry is operating at full capacity.

In five years, Russia could be ready for a confrontation with NATO.

We must deter any aggression.

To defend ourselves using space, to defend space itself, Europe needs to show leadership – both in the civilian and military use of space.

Defend our frontiers from space – and explore new frontiers in limitless space.

In concrete terms:

We will continue to build and improve our space flagships. Galileo. Copernicus. Iris².

We must guarantee autonomous access to space. The inaugural launch of Ariana 6 and return of Vega C are important steps.

But we need to accelerate our work on launchers.

We are projected to launch only 15 times per year – We still need to master reusability and return capacities.

Now is the time for Europe to make the right choices for the future. To have the launchers we need, learning the lessons from the past.

We will work with the European Space Agency, Member States, industry. To develop a long-term vision on European launchers. To ensure our sovereignty in space.

We need to continue our cooperation. But we must also strengthen competition in launching – in order to reinforce competitiveness of our possibilities in space transportation.

The Commission's new competitiveness compass points the way: I will propose a Space Act to establish an internal market for space.

And we need investment. National investment. Private investment. Investment through the European Union. Through the European Space Agency.

Above all: investments for maximum effect, everyone working together.

And we must mobilise space for defence and defence of space.

That means protecting official communications already now. By pooling and sharing services of the existing Governmental Satellite Communication systems.

And by activating Galileo's Public Regulated Service later this year. By considering new technologies such as low Earth orbit positioning, navigation and timing.

And by promoting space based intelligence and surveillance. President Niinisto in his strategic report on EU preparedness stressed the need for intelligence. Also from space.

We need more than eyes in space. We need spies in space.

We need to have a state-of-the-art Earth Observation system. For permanent flow of intelligence data. Europe has unique worldclass expertise in multiple Earth observation technologies. Building on long standing European cooperation.

We need a missile Early Warning system, based in space, to protect ourselves on Earth.

We're developing autonomous space situational awareness to protect our satellites in space.

I want to set up a dialogue with Member States and space commands. To look at options for European space domain awareness to monitor threats, including military threats.

All these defensive efforts, we must unite into a single European Space Shield.

As one of the most important Defence Projects of Common European Interest.

I would like to end by returning to Pierre Auger

The French scientist who stood at the birth of European space cooperation.

He was a physicist, who was active in government. And as you may know: I started my career as a physicist.

And then I became active in government. And now I am the European Union's first ever dedicated Commissioner for space.

We now too find ourselves at the start of a global race for space. And our answer to this is the same: we must work together.

We cannot leave space to the axis of aggressive authoritarians. The future belongs to space. Who controls space controls the future.

Europe's achievements in space are among the European Union's greatest successes. An incredible feat of engineering. Thanks to our cooperation with Member States and the European Space Agency.  And it shows what we can achieve as a European Union when we all work together.

But we are reaching a tipping point.

To make progress, there can be no more business as usual. We must change trajectory.

I have just read the memoirs of another great Frenchman. And great European.

Jean Monnet.

And Jean Monnet said:

“Men only make great decisions when crisis is on their doorstep”.

Let's not wait for the crisis to come.

But act now – and act together.

I know we can count on your great feats of engineering.

And you can count on the European Commission to give European scale, European coordination, European funding European laws, European leadership.

Our economic future depends on it.

Our military survival may one day depend on it.

We must unite as a continent, to lead in space.

For the wellbeing of our people.

And I know with the ambition, energy and skill of the French space industry, we will certainly succeed.