Madam Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. The following countries align themselves with this statement: Albania^* and Ukraine^*.

At the outset, I would like to congratulate you on your efficient chairmanship and to ensure you of our continued support and cooperation. I would also like to welcome COPUOS’ newest members, Guatemala and Uzbekistan. 

The European Union and its Member States remain committed to actively contributing to the multilateral work of COPUOS and its Subcommittees, including their Working Groups. They are unique platforms for international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, including for the development of international space law, international norms, guidelines, best practices, and transparency and confidence building measures related to the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. We recognize the important role of UNOOSA in supporting this work.

The EU and its Member States believe that the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and the other UN treaties on outer space constitute the cornerstone of international space law and that compliance with existing international law must be ensured. This UN framework is complemented by space-related resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly. Consequently, COPUOS and its Subcommittees are unique platforms for an inclusive dialogue on space law, space governance and space policy issues related to the peaceful uses of outer space. As a responsible space actor, the European Union is working on possible ways by which it could accept the rights and obligations contained in the relevant UN treaties on outer space.

Madam Chair,

COPUOS has proven its ability to deliver on its mandate. The establishment of the Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities and the swift agreement on its mandate, terms of reference and methods of work was a welcome achievement. We commend the Working Group's Chair and Vice-Chair, Ambassador Misztal of Poland and Professor Freeland of Australia, for their leadership in advancing its work in the intersessional period and we assure them of our full support and cooperation for reaching consensus on the outstanding issues during this session.

On the same vein, the EU and its Member States commend the positive discussion within the Working Group on Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities (WG-LTS) at the recent 60^th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee. We are looking forward to actively participating in the upcoming meetings and contributing to the substantive discussions with regard to the implementation of the 21 LTS guidelines, capacity building and new challenges.

We consider that capacity building in space law and policy plays an important role in maintaining the rule of law with regard to space activities. We express our appreciation and support for UNOOSA’s capacity building activities, especially with respect to new space actors and emerging space nations.

Madam Chair,

The European Union is making a broader commitment to ensure the actual implementation of the principles contained in the LTS guidelines. In 2022, the EU committed to tackling the global challenge of Space Traffic Management (STM) through efforts aimed at developing capabilities, regulatory aspects and partnerships. Drawing on reinforced capabilities, our EU approach for STM foresees multilateral engagement in the context of the United Nations, and bilaterally with international partners in view of sharing, building on regional contributions. Already since 2016, EU Space Surveillance & Tracking has been providing collision avoidance services, which are as of the first quarter of 2023 open to non-European users.

The EU and its Member States welcome that outer space issues relevant to COPUOS work will feature prominently at the UN SDG Summit in 2023 and at the UN Summit of the Future in 2024, following the UN Secretary-General’s report “Our Common Agenda”. We recognise the need for the international community to come together and discuss ways and means to reinforce space governance in the interest of maintaining a sustainable outer space for the benefit of present and future generations. Thus, we will use the occasion of the 66th COPUOS session to report on the EU Space Programme, which contributes to a range of SDGs.

In conclusion, the continuation of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine obliges the EU to reiterate its condemnation in the strongest possible terms the unprovoked and unjustifiable war of aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which grossly violates international law and the UN Charter, and undermines European and global security and stability. The EU expresses full solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people and remains strongly committed to the fight against impunity for atrocities.

Thank you for your attention.

* Candidate Country, Albania, continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.