Conference on Disarmament, EU Statement in Subsidiary Body 3: Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space
Mr. Coordinator,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.
The Candidate Countries the Republic of North Macedonia*, Montenegro* and Albania*, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia align themselves with this statement.
We would like to congratulate you on your assumption of your role as coordinator of this subsidiary body and we wish you success.
Today is the 27th day since President Putin started Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. We only can start it by reiterating our strongest condemnation of Russia's unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine, which grossly violates international law and the UN Charter, and undermines international peace and security. The EU resolutely supports Ukraine’s inherent right of self-defence and the Ukrainian armed forces’ efforts to defend Ukraine’s territorial integrity and population in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter. The EU demands that Russia immediately cease its military actions, withdraw all its troops from the entire territory of Ukraine and fully respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence within its internationally recognised borders.
Mr. Coordinator,
The EU and its Member States are actively engaged in promoting the preservation of a safe, secure and sustainable space environment and the peaceful use of outer space on an equitable and mutually acceptable basis for all, for present and future generations. The EU and its Member States remain strongly committed to the prevention of an arms race in outer space, which is essential for strengthening international security and stability.
The EU and its Member States regard outer space as a global commons, to be used for the benefit of all. The EU and its Member States stress the importance of conducting apace activities in accordance with international law, including UN Charter. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty and other applicable international law, as well as the guiding principles developed in the UN framework, constitute the cornerstone of the global governance of outer space. The EU and its Member States stress the importance of conducting space activities in accordance therewith.
The space environment is becoming increasingly congested, contested and competitive. Outer space is an area where we have seen a considerable amount of challenges to our common security in recent years and this merits our full attention. The destruction of space objects and systems or interruptions of their services significantly impacts and disrupts connected societies which are increasingly dependent on these services. Furthermore, the dual-use nature of many space objects and systems poses challenges when it comes to protecting space assets and identifying threats, distinguishing between innocuous behaviours and potentially threatening ones.
Improving space security today is essential, as all States are increasingly reliant on space systems and services. Satellites and other space-based assets, their corresponding ground segments, and their associated signals are vital for the functioning of today’s societies and the global economy and trade, as well as for progress on crucial global issues such as combatting climate change and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The digital economy, the fourth industrial revolution, agriculture, transport (across the transport modes – land/water/air), fishing, energy, finance, urban development, telecommunication, environmental monitoring, and the broad security chain from civil protection to security and defence are amongst the space-reliant sectors.
These sectors and others are vulnerable to risks in outer space.
The EU and its Member States remain concerned about the continued development, testing and proliferation of anti-satellite weapons (ASAT), both ground-based and co-orbital and underline the importance of addressing such dangerous and highly destabilising developments promptly and as part of international efforts to prevent threats to objects in outer space. Considering that destructive anti-satellite missile tests create space debris and pose significant risks to outer space activities which are irreconcilable with a sustainable use of outer space, the EU and its Member States urge all UN Member States to refrain from such harmful activities.
The European Union strongly condemned the Russian Federation’s conduct, last year in November, of a kinetic direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon test against its own satellite, COSMOS 1408, resulting in its destruction by a missile, as a clear act of irresponsible behaviour in outer space. It generated a large amount of space debris that constitute a long-lasting risk for crewed and un- crewed space activities, including for the safety of astronauts and cosmonauts at the International Space Station. This action contradicts the position expressed by the Russian Federation in multilateral fora, including in its contribution to the report of the UN Secretary General on responsible behaviour in outer space.
The conduct of such tests are dangerous and highly destabilising, as potentially leading to deteriorating the confidence between space actors, increasing the perception of threats. The European Union continues to urge all States to refrain from the irresponsible behaviour of destructing space objects that generate space debris in order to preserve the safe, secure and sustainable use of outer space for present and future generations. This threatening behaviour entails a high risk of miscalculation and escalation and undermines stability in outer space. This is a strong reminder of the urgent need to take forward international discussions in order to agree on and implement norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviour in outer space and other transparency and confidence-building measures, while ensuring compliance with existing international law.
Mr. Coordinator,
The EU and its Member States will continue to advocate for responsible behaviour in outer space, as well as a comprehensive approach in addressing challenges, risks and threats to the peaceful use of outer space, in compliance with international law, notably in the framework of the United Nations.
Without excluding the possibility of a legally binding instrument in the future, the EU and its Member States believe that voluntary measures constitute a pragmatic way forward at the moment, starting with norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours, through an incremental and inclusive process initiated by Resolution 75/36.
In that regard, the EU and its Member States welcome the adoption of UNGA Resolution 76/231 entitled “Reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours”, which is a timely step to contribute to the reduction of threats and risks related to outer space. The establishment of this Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG), which the EU and its Member States fully support, paves the way for a detailed and inclusive discussion on reducing threats through responsible behaviours with a view to concretely improving space security and to contribute to the prevention of an arms race in outer space, which is essential for strengthening international security and stability.
The EU and its Member States emphasise that any future legally binding framework in the scope of space security should be effective and verifiable and should cover all relevant threats, be they Earth-to-space, space-to-space, or space-to-Earth.
Mr. Coordinator,
Globally-shared principles of responsible behaviour increase international cooperation in space, commit to mutual non-interference in the peaceful lexpoloration and use of outer space, facilitate an equitable access to outer space and increase transparency and confidence in the conduct of space activities.
Finally, the EU and its Member States also emphasise the importance of transparency and confidence-building measures in reducing the risks of misperception, miscalculation and unwanted escalation. They are a key instrument to further strengthen the current normative framework. In this regard, the EU and its Member States believe that publishing and sharing information about space doctrines, policies and strategies is responsible and would help creating confidence between actors. Sharing information on space launch vehicle programs, including pre-launch notifications, is already established practice under the Hague Code of Conduct (HCoC).
As firm believers in multilateralism with the United Nations at its core, the EU and its Member States strongly believe that now is urgent and in the interest of all States to pragmatically and immediately improve space security and to act swiftly in order to agree on a global, common and multilateral solution through greater coordination and cooperation, with the involvement of all UN Member States and relevant organisations. The EU and its Member States therefore continue to be fully committed to engage actively and constructively in discussions on the prevention of an arms race in outer space.
I thank you, Mr. Coordinator.
* The Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.