Mr. Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.

The Candidate Countries Türkiye, North Macedonia^*, Montenegro^*, Serbia^*, Albania^*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina^*, and the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, as well as, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino align themselves with this statement.

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. We remain strongly committed to the prevention of an arms race in outer space (PAROS), which is essential for strengthening international security and stability and for safeguarding the free exploration and long-term use of the space environment for peaceful purposes.

International law, in particular the United Nations Charter, the UN treaties on outer space and international humanitarian law, is applicable to outer space. The Outer Space Treaty and other applicable international law instruments, in particular the UN Charter as well as the guiding principles developed in the UN framework constitute the cornerstone of the global governance in outer space. The EU and its Member States recognize outer space as a global commons, to be used for the benefit for all humankind.

Outer space has witnessed a surge in security challenges over recent years with threats and perceived threats multiplying and endangering the long-term sustainability of the space environment and the safe and secure delivering of essential services on which the global community rely on.

Thus, improving space security today is paramount, as all States, be they space-faring nations or not, are increasingly reliant on space systems and services. Satellites and other space-based assets, their corresponding ground segments, and their associated data links 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.

Mr. Chair,

The goal of PAROS is achievable by a combination of legally-binding and politically binding tools. While reaffirming the importance of developing legally-binding norms in this field, the EU and its Member States believe that an approach based on behaviours is the most pragmatic and immediate way forward to make progress on PAROS and improve space security. This approach complements the relevant disarmament and arms control tools and helps to further strengthen the existing normative and legal framework. Future legally binding frameworks for space security must be effective and verifiable and should aim to cover all relevant threats, be they Earth-to-space, Earth-to-Earth, space-to-space, or space-to-Earth.

The EU and its Member States fully supported the Open Ended Working Group on reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours (OEWG), which has come to an end this summer. This transparent and inclusive process helped to build a better common understanding on the existing legal framework, on threatening behaviours in, to and from outer space and on the usefulness of responsible behaviours for addressing such challenges. We value in particular the different views expressed by States and other stakeholders and the open and enriching discussions on topics relevant for space security. Participants benefitted from this process as a novel platform to exchange on space threats.

The EU and its Member States deeply regret that in spite of all tireless efforts by the Chair and the support of the overwhelming majority of States, the OEWG was unable to adopt a consensual substantive report, following the opposition by one UN Member State. In addition, the unwillingness to agree even on a procedural report shows disregard for the mandate of the OEWG given by the UNGA.

At the same time, we welcome the active engagement demonstrated during this process, and in particular the joint statements and cross-regional initiatives that enabled interactive and mutually-enriching discussions among States from different geographical regions and of different degrees of development of space infrastructure. The EU also welcomes the proposed UK resolution to establish a new OEWG in order to continue this work and further elaborate this concept in a timely manner. The EU reiterates the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach, including engagement with international organisations, commercial actors and civil society representatives, in accordance with established practice.

Mr. Chair,

Historically, many legally binding instruments on outer space and other domains drew from previous non-legally binding commitments and principles or through the adoption of different resolutions in the UN framework. Moreover, norms of responsible behaviours within legal regimes governing other domains, such as maritime, cyberspace or telecommunication, constitute good examples, best practices and lessons learned.

We reiterate that agreeing on norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours represent a viable way to achieve the goal of PAROS. It is a first important step to maintain space security, to contribute to increased international cooperation as well as to facilitate an equitable access to outer space and contribute to increase transparency and confidence in the conduct of space activities. In this light, we welcome the publication by UNIDIR of a Lexicon for Outer Space Security that supports this effort. Moreover, we welcome the launch of the Space Security Portal.

The usefulness of such an approach is demonstrated by the national commitments made by an increasing number of UN Member States not to conduct destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missile tests, pursuant to the resolution on “Destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing” (A/RES/77/41) during the last UN General Assembly adopted by a vast majority of Member States. In this context, I am honoured to reaffirm today the commitment by all Member States of the European Union not to conduct destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missiles tests. We encourage all States to make such a commitment. This norm of responsible behaviour can contribute to build the necessary confidence between States to the development of possible legally-binding instruments in the scope of space security in the future and contributes further to our overarching goal of preventing an arms race in outer space.

Mr. Chair,

Trust and confidence are at the centre of any security-building process. In this regard, the EU welcomes the work of the United Nations Disarmament Commission’s Working Group II on promoting the practical implementation of transparency and confidence building measures in outer space and the adoption of its recommendations by consensus. TCBMs allow for norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours to develop in a favourable strategic environment. In this regard, we strongly support the implementation of TCBMs discussed and agreed upon in the 2013 GGE report, and we welcome the new report of the UN Secretary General on their implementation, ten years after their adoption.

We wish to highlight that in order to ensure transparency on the EU’s space activities and intentions, a Joint Communication by the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence has been issued and made public in March 2023. It is also available on the UNIDIR Space Security Portal.

Furthermore, sharing information on space launch vehicle programs, including prelaunch notifications, is already established practice under the Hague Code of Conduct (HCoC). The EU and its Member States encourage all States to subscribe to the HCoC and to fully implement its provisions.

Finally, as firm believers in multilateralism with the United Nations at its core, we strongly believe that now is urgent and in the interest of and for the benefit of all States to agree on a pragmatic, global, common and multilateral solution for space security and to enhance coordination and cooperation, with the involvement of all UN Member States and UN relevant organisations and specialised bodies, including joint sessions of the 1^st and 4^th committee. The EU and its Member States continue to be fully committed to engage actively and constructively in discussions on responsible behaviours with the aim of preventing an arms race in outer space.

Thank you, Mr. Chair

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.