A4-0384/97

Resolution on the Commission communication to the Council and the European Parliament 'The European Union and Space: fostering applications, markets and industrial competitiveness' (COM(96)0617 - C4-0042/97)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission communication (COM(96)0617 - C4-0042/97),

- having regard to its resolutions of:

. 25 April 1979 on Community participation in space research ((OJ C 127, 21.5.1979, p. 42.)),

. 17 September 1981 on European space policy ((OJ C 260, 12.10.1981, p. 102.)),

. 17 June 1987 on European space policy ((OJ C 190, 20.7.1987, p. 78.)),

. 22 October 1991 on European space policy ((OJ C 305, 25.11.1991, p. 26.)),

. 6 May 1994 on the Community and space ((OJ C 205, 25.7.1994, p. 467.)),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy and the opinion of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy (A4-0384/97),

A. whereas independent access to space and its exploitation, the coordination of space activities, the promotion of the efficiency and competitiveness of the European space industry and support for research and technological development in this sector have been the objectives on which European space policy has concentrated since the late 1970s,

B. whereas, despite the complex nature of each of the specific sectors, and a relatively low level of public funding, well below that of its principal competitors, Europe has succeeded, thanks to a high degree of cooperation, in developing a significant space programme, of which the growth in the commercial market, although important, must not be allowed to hide the fall in the public investment required for the development of this sector in order to guarantee technological progress and the pursuit of activities connected with the exploration of space and knowledge of the universe,

C. whereas, as the Treaties stand at present, expenditure on military R& D is exclusively a Member State activity, from which the EU is rightly excluded,

D. whereas there is a considerable disparity in the relative importance of the space sector between Europe and North America, especially if we compare the number of people employed in the space industry - 200 000 in the United States against 39 000 in Europe - or the turnover - 7% against 38% in Europe - achieved on the commercial market, although space activities considered as commercial in Europe are still financed by public contracting in the United States,

E. whereas the major trends identified in the economic and political context, i.e. the transition to the global information society, the opening of the international market to new competitors and the new geopolitical parameters governing the growth of the sector must result in a European space policy being redirected,

F. whereas the Commission should include in its information society and telecommunications charter a specific objective for European initiatives and projects in which user organizations from the CEEC and non-member Mediterranean countries participate in the definition and development of new satellite applications to address problems of mutual interest and to support development, education and cultural exchange,

G. taking a positive view of the Commission's approach as regards the factors which have a direct influence on the Union's space policy, with particular regard to the integration of space in the fields of telecommunications, navigation and Earth observation, the slow restructuring process of European industry seen against the concentration of American groups, the tasks devolved to the ESA and the role of Community research and development,

H. whereas the investment required for the development of the industry sometimes resembles public investment, where the return is difficult to quantify, since these are strategic developments or a contribution to public interest services, and sometimes venture capital where repayment periods are lengthy,

1. Notes that, in its communication, the Commission confirms the terms of Parliament's resolution of 6 May 1994 referred to above as well as the conclusions of the European Space Forum held on 6 and 7 November 1995;

2. Emphasizes the urgent need for reshaping the European Union's space policy in order to take account of all the strategic and commercial interests involved in space activities and for further investment to guarantee the growth and competitiveness of the industries in the sector and make up the backlog that has accumulated in certain fields;

3. Fears that an excessively optimistic view of the scale and speed of the development over time of the market for commercial applications or public interest services may result in the degree of public funding required being underestimated, with particular regard to research and development, before a bridge is guaranteed by the existence of an open and fair market which, in order to be established, still requires decisive action by the Commission, in particular in order to obtain access for European space products and services on third-country markets, on the basis of reciprocity;

4. Stresses the need for a European policy to promote the use of Earth observation data by establishing infrastructure and services which the private sector cannot finance and which must integrate the task of protecting persons and property in the light of climate change, major hazards and natural and man-made disasters, the arbitration required in conflicts involving access to natural resources and the implementation of Union policies, in particular in the field of regional planning, agriculture and fisheries, transport, combating fraud, as well as legislative aspects and training in the use of the new instruments;

5. Emphasizes the need to enhance technological skills and financial capacities in the civilian space sector, more particularly in the field of satellite observation, being aware that the private sector is not able to finance all the European infrastructure required to meet the requirements of autonomy and independence of access to and processing of information;

6. Takes the view that the space industry must boldly go along the path towards concentration so that it can compete with American manufacturers by means of preference given to European industry to meet the requirements of the Union, and have at its disposal a genuine internal market similar to those of its competitors;

7. Emphasizes the need to consider space as a whole, including the activities to be undertaken at European level, the scientific aspects and those connected with manned space activities, and not to include just commercial applications, as set out in the report of the High-Level Group and in the Commission's communication;

8. Nevertheless approves of the attention devoted to supporting commercial activities, in particular launchers, which need public financing for their substantial investment in advanced research, essential for maintaining their long-term competitiveness;

9. Recalls the coordinating role played by space in the implementation of international cooperation, mainly between public authorities, by means of a synergy of industrial skills, research and technological development programmes around vast projects such as the International Space Station and the major scientific experiments (HUBBLE, ISO, CASINI, etc.);

10. Takes the view that the Fifth Framework Programme must devote significant resources to space research by means of targeted actions involving the information society, Earth observation and navigation, and recommends the establishment of a specific action guaranteeing coordination and synergy between the ESA's various activities and science and technology programmes, but makes it clear that under no circumstances must the Fifth Framework Programme be used to fund strictly military R& D;

11. Proposes in particular that the Fifth Framework Programme should include research on deep space solar panels in cooperation with the ESA;

12. Urges the Commission to join with the ESA in implementing programmes of action aimed at integrating the successes achieved by the European space industry more satisfactorily into the development of the regions hosting these activities;

13. Calls on the Commission, when defining the guidelines for European space policy, to pay particular attention to the strengthening of the industry's technical and economic potential by means of measures promoting, on the one hand, innovative applications connected with manned space activities and with the major technological programmes and, on the other, technical and commercial applications which serve the mass markets (telecommunications) and major services (navigation);

14. Approves of the inclusion of pilot and demonstration projects among the measures which the European Union should take and requests that in this context the construction of modular demonstration platforms should be envisaged for testing space equipment developed by the Union's industries;

15. Recommends that - in addition to the ESA Ministerial Council meeting - a European Council meeting be set up in the near future to deal specifically with European space policy;

16. Calls on the Commission and Member States to encourage private and public investment in the key sectors such as the satellite industry and the launcher industry, with particular attention being paid to small launchers which may be operated, where appropriate, in cooperation with companies in third countries;

17. Considers that the Commission should request the ESA to evaluate the competitive risk for the European space sector caused by the lack of a European reusable launch vehicle research programme;

18. Encourages the Commission, with the ESA's help, to finalize draft international rules designed to identify, monitor and eliminate pollution caused by space debris;

19. Calls on the Commission to bring its efforts to achieve standardization and coordination of European satellite navigation systems to a successful conclusion with a view to introducing an autonomous and integrated European navigation system, with a view to a worldwide system, and encouraging cooperation with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Mediterranean third countries;

20. Calls on the three Member States which do not belong to the ESA to join it, so that the European character of the Agency can be enhanced;

21. Calls on the Commission to foster knowledge and promotion of European programmes among the major partners and potential customers: India, China, Russia and Africa, and to establish balanced dialogue with Japan and the United States on the standardization and interconnection of major systems;

22. Welcomes the Council's adoption of the action plan on satellite communications and considers that its swift implementation is essential for the competitiveness of the European industries involved in this activity; stresses, in particular, the importance of the R& D measures envisaged in the action plan, such as projects for research on the future generations of telecommunications satellite;

23. Considers that the Commission and the ESA should give financial support to space education through 'seed space projects' (microsatellites, get- away-special) for high-school and university students;

24. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and Council.