France welcomes the publication on March 10 of the European Union’s space strategy for security and defence, which it has called for and supported. This strategy is part of the implementation of the Strategic Compass adopted under the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2022 which called on the EU to become an actor in contested strategic spaces such as cyberspace or outer space.
This strategy offers a common and ambitious framework for action by the European Union and its Member States for the protection of their interests in space, which are essential for the well-being of millions of European citizens. It allows a common analysis of space threats and proposes institutional, diplomatic and capability responses.
Like the French Defense Space Strategy of 2019, the joint communication constitutes an effort of transparency on the objectives and means of the EU in this field. It complies with international law and is consistent with the work in progress to define standards for responsible behavior in space, to which France and the EU are fully committed.