The Spanish Presidency of the Council aims to continue making progress in achieving a European policy in the space field and specifying and reinforcing the role of the European Union as a reference actor in space.
During this Presidency period, the Council seeks to adopt some Conclusions in relation to space traffic management (GTE), a key element for greater security in outer space.
Likewise, the Presidency is working on the preparation of Council Conclusions on the Space Strategy for Security and Defense (SSSD) in the European Union.
All these issues will be addressed at the informal Ministerial Space meeting that will take place in the city of Seville on November 7, in the Navigation Pavilion, built for the 1992 Universal Exhibition.
There will also be debate in the Andalusian capital, chosen for 2024 European capital of space , on the green and sustainable use of this area, as well as its resilience and competitive industrialization.
Cooperation with the European Space Agency and CELAC
In the same framework, a meeting of the European ministers in this area will take place with those responsible for the European Space Agency (ESA), currently chaired by Germany and which includes a total of 17 countries of the 27 that make up the EU.
To close the day, a meeting will also be held between the ministers of the EU and those of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), in which new forms of cooperation between both regions in space matters will be sought.
For the Spanish Presidency of the Council, it is about establishing a high-level dialogue between Europe and the CELAC countries to talk about how to strengthen the strategic space partnership and what the main challenges and needs are to address that cooperation, in addition to establish the programs, instruments and forms of financing to achieve these objectives.
Ensure a safe and sustainable space
The European Union is seeking to develop a space traffic management (STM) approach to ensure that space activities are safe and sustainable.
Since the start of the space race, around 6,400 launches have put 15,700 satellites into orbit, of which 8,300 are currently operational.
According to the Council of the European Union, the number of satellites and the amount of debris in space are constantly increasing, congesting space and endangering the security of the space assets of the EU and its Member States.
Precisely this year, coinciding with the Spanish semester, the Council adopted conclusions entitled “An equitable and sustainable use of space “, which include a call for a European approach to space traffic management, at a time when that orbits are increasingly congested by space objects.
According to the document approved by the Council, space is a universal common heritage that must be open for exploration and use to all States.
Member States and the Commission are also requested to continue implementing the 21 voluntary Guidelines on the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities adopted by the United Nations.
Spain already has its own Space Agency
The city of Seville will be the headquarters of the Spanish Space Agency , which, according to the Ministry of Science and Innovation, must unify all the country’s space policies and effectively coordinate services and activities in the sector to guarantee the strategic action of the Government of Spain in the field of space.
The Spanish Space Agency, which began its journey in 2023, has an initial budget of more than 700 million euros this year and will incorporate 75 people with a highly qualified profile and a recognized professional career.
The acting Minister of Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, has indicated that this agency will bring space closer to citizens and, to do so, will have a Space and Society Office, dedicated to awakening the vocations of the youngest, especially Women’s.
Likewise, it will be an interlocutor with the European Space Agency (ESA) and with the rest of the space agencies, such as NASA, in the United States, and will become a node of public-private collaboration, supporting the existing space sector and promoting creation of new companies in the aerospace field.