EU Statement – United Nations 1st Committee: Thematic Discussion on Outer Space
Mr. Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
The Candidate Countries Turkey, the Republic of North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Serbia* 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.
The EU and its Member States continue to strongly promote the preservation of a safe, secure and sustainable space environment and the peaceful use of outer space on an equitable and mutually-acceptable basis. In line with applicable international treaties, we recognise outer space as a global commons, to be used for the benefit of all. Many of the systems and services that are today essential for well-being as well as security depend directly or indirectly on space.
The EU and its MS continue to promote the preservation of a safe, secure and sustainable space environment and the peaceful use of outer space as a key priority for us, and in our common interest for present and future generations. Thus, as firm believers in multilateralism with a strong United Nations at its core, we consider that this is best achieved through international cooperation.
The EU and its Member States underline that 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. We note the applicability of international law, including the UN Charter, to outer space in the interest of maintaining international peace and security and promoting international cooperation and understanding, as also reflected in Article 3 of the Outer Space Treaty. The EU and its Member States stress the importance of conducting space activities in accordance therewith.
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 and for safeguarding the long-term use of the space environment for peaceful purposes.
The EU and its Member States actively contribute to and support the work of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and its Subcommittees and welcome the progress made on the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities.
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, including at and beyond the present UNGA. The destruction of space objects or interruptions of their services pose an inherent risk to connected societies 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.
Mr. Chair,
The EU and its Member States remain convinced that transparency and confidence-building measures can make an important contribution to the security, safety and sustainability of activities in outer space. They highlight the importance of the mutually-reinforcing role of transparency and confidence-building measures, reducing the risks of misperception, miscalculation, and unintended conflict escalation, and the need to advocate for responsible behaviour in outer space. 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. 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. Chair,
The rapid growth of human activities in space, coupled with the increased diversity of space operators, makes it ever more necessary to develop new international norms, rules and standards, guidelines, best practices, measures to reduce the risk of misunderstandings and misperception, and other transparency and confidence-building measures within the UN framework to govern human activity in space, ensuring compliance with existing international law and transparency and confidence-building measures.
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 threat to objects in outer space. There are particular risks associated with these weapons. Among the most visible threats are kinetic anti-satellite tests, be they ground-based or co-orbital, their effects are the destruction of the targeted satellite as well as the collateral generation of space debris, potentially long lived debris. The EU and its Member States urge all States to refrain from the destruction of space objects that generate space debris, especially multiple long-lived debris as it causes harm to the peaceful exploration and use of outer space.
In this context, the commitment to responsible behaviour is essential to avoid potentially harmful interference with the peaceful exploration and use of outer space and to facilitate equitable access to outer space for all.
It is therefore urgent and in the interest of all States to pragmatically and immediately improve space security. Given the dual-use nature of many space systems, the EU and its Member States believe that an approach based on behaviours, supported by relevant monitoring capabilities, is the most pragmatic way forward to improving space security today as it will help to reduce the risks of misunderstandings, misperceptions and miscalculation and it will therefore help decrease the risk of conflicts and escalation in outer space. This kind of approach may be more long-lasting as it would address the risk of the development of technologies overtaking any eventual agreements.
The EU and its Member States consider that the process launched with UNGA Resolution 75/36 on “Reducing space threats through responsible behaviours”, will further help create the momentum for more ambitious steps, which could include the possibility of a new legally binding instrument in the future. The EU and its Member States supported this initiative and contributed to the UNSG report with a joint reply. Efforts to pursue political commitments, through a comprehensive approach, dealing with all aspects of space activities, and as a complement to compliance with existing international law, remain relevant. The EU and its Member States believe that convening an open-ended working group in this regard is a promising, inclusive and pragmatic approach in the near term that could result in agreeing on a voluntary instrument to establish principles, standards, rules and norms of responsible behaviour across the full range of space activities and related challenges.
Mr. Chair,
Universally-shared, multilaterally agreed principles of responsible behaviour should increase international cooperation in space, commit to mutual non-interference in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, facilitate an equitable access to outer space and increase transparency in the conduct of space activities.
The EU and its Member States consider it important to jointly pursue and intensify efforts to address challenges in outer space, with the involvement of all UN Member States and therefore continue to be fully committed to engage constructively in discussions on the prevention of threats in outer space.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
* The Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.