Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-01-16-Speech-3-229"
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".
Mr President, I would like to start by congratulating you on your re-election.
In 2001, however, certain limitations came to light, for example the lack of results obtained from the last Council of Transport Ministers with regard to the Galileo project.
I deeply regret that these delays have occurred and I would like to once again state very clearly that, in my opinion, there is no economic justification for calling the viability of the project into question, although what remains, ultimately, are doubts with regard to the political will to go ahead with a project as ambitious as the Galileo project. I hope that these doubts can be allayed in the next few weeks and that by March the Union will have made a positive decision, once and for all.
The third aspect concerns the future. What, exactly, is there left for us to do? The answer is, a great deal. In order for Europe to fulfil its proper role in this regard, it must establish close cooperation with all parties concerned, especially with regard to a more operational form of cooperation between the Commission and the European Space Agency. In the short term, this involves negotiating a framework agreement between these two institutions to formalise cooperation between them and to confer the role of organising the implementation of the Union’s space programmes on the Agency. An informal ‘Space Council’ will have to be convened at some stage, that brings together the Research Council and the Council of the European Space Agency.
In the medium term, it is proposed that the Councils of the Union and the European Space Agency, as well as the European Parliament should decide on space policy, on the basis of the guidelines provided by the Heads of State and Government. However, in the longer term and specifically within the framework of the debate that is due to start shortly on the future of the Union, the European Space Agency, and space policy in particular, must also be reflected in the Treaty itself.
Before drawing my conclusions I would like to make some comments on a number of recommendations outlined in the Alyssandrakis report. I would like to focus specifically on the issue of frequencies. A European coordination mechanism is being set up in this field in the form of a task force in which national political leaders will participate in the area of regulation. Another issue is that of full convergence between the report by the think tank’s task force and Parliament’s point of view, with regard to the need to carefully study the situation of competition on a world scale and to adopt appropriate measures, especially with regard to launch pads. We are also very interested in the idea of organising an international conference to explore opportunities for cooperation. As Mr Alyssandrakis is well aware, we are already cooperating very closely with Russia.
Finally, generally speaking, the Sixth Framework Programme should make progress in the direction proposed in various recommendations, because for the first time, the subject of space is one of the priorities of this framework programme, but also because the European Space Agency will, for the first time, be able to participate in the programme as a partner with full rights.
Ladies and gentlemen, the report that you are going to adopt represents a substantial and powerful boost for the efforts to implement an authentic European Space Policy. The success of such an undertaking requires the mobilisation of all of those involved and strong support from all of you here today.
I would like to say – along the same lines as some of the other speakers, such as Mr Savary and Mr Caudron – that we cannot block the necessary capacity and presence of the European Union with regard to space technologies on the pretext that certain types of project could have a dual usage. It has been clearly stated that the objective of the GMES initiative is peace, and that the initiative is not financed from budgets, nor from funds with military financing and uses. In fact, quite the opposite is true, and this holds for the Galileo project too.
Simply avoiding taking part in the space race for the sake of peace will not prevent space, which is already partially militarised, from becoming more so. We must have a firm will to be in space with the criteria of the European Union in mind: to see space used for peaceful purposes for the benefit of mankind as a whole.
Ladies and gentlemen, first of all, I would like to congratulate Mr Alyssandrakis and thank him for his clear and constructive report, and also to thank all the members of the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy, as well as the members of the various committees who have taken part in this debate and who have been involved in this report.
I am very pleased to be able to take part in this debate today and to do so on behalf of the Commission, in place of my colleague Philippe Busquin, with whom we work very closely on the issue of space, especially in view of my responsibilities in this area with the Galileo project.
The report you are debating today is an important milestone in the history of European space policy, whose development has recently been taken on board by the Community institutions. It is the political support for the work carried out by the Commission and the European Space Agency within the framework of their joint working group, work which is fully described in the recommendations of the motion for a resolution. My colleague, Philippe Busquin, has been working very hard on this project, which I know will go towards fulfilling Europe’s requirements for becoming the most competitive knowledge-based society in the world by 2010.
My speech will focus on three points. The first is the spirit of the European Space Policy, which is part of the framework of a vision of a Europe that takes full advantage of the potential of the knowledge-based economy, especially through the creation of a true European research area, in line with the spirit of the Lisbon conclusions, which should also be the spirit in Barcelona. A Europe, furthermore, that actively encourages sustainable development, which, since Gothenburg, has been one of the European Union’s priorities. A Europe that is willing to involve its citizens more in the decision-making process, thereby giving a practical example of governance. This is exactly where Parliament’s role is crucial, especially in explaining technical issues, such as Space.
In addition to these general principles we need to mention two specific aspects: firstly, the will to accept the international dimension of space and our responsibilities on the world stage, providing Europe with the means it needs to be truly independent; and secondly, the concern to work on maintaining peace and to ensure the security of all European citizens.
At this juncture, I would like to point out – in response to some concerns expressed by the rapporteur – the resolute nature of the instrument for peace that is the GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) initiative in the area of environmental monitoring and safety.
The second aspect is the recent progress made in this field, given that over the last year considerable progress has been made in the area of space policy by means of the communication that you are examining today and also the associated Council resolution. European Union policy has taken account of the strategic importance of space activity for Europe.
With regard to the specific progress made, I would like to mention two fundamental stages. The first was the creation of a joint Commission and Space Agency task force, which resulted in a second communication. This was presented at the end of 2001 to the European Council, the Space Agency and Parliament. The second stage is the joint preparation of a strategy for the implementation of the GMES initiative. Within this framework, an action plan has been prepared, firstly at European Union level, then at European Space Agency level, with the approval of an additional section at the Agency Ministers’ Council."@en1
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