Paris, 17 June 2010 – On Thursday the European Security and Defence Assembly (ESDA) called on the EU to be more proactive and to enhance cooperation in observation satellites which is one of their strategic objectives.

In his report on early warning satellites and electromagnetic intelligence, presented on behalf of the Technological and Aerospace Committee, Mr POZZO DI BORGO (France, EPP/CD Group) said that in this area “cooperation appears to be difficult because only a few countries have expressed an interest”.

He recalled that at the present time, there were only two operational space-based early warning systems in existence: two American (the Defense Support Program, DSP, currently being updated, and the recent Space-Based Infrared System, SBIRS, at a cost of over ten billion dollars) and one Russian. Within the EU, only France was developing a spaceborne early warning demonstrator, SPIRALE. In February 2009, two SPIRALE demonstrators were put in orbit, confirming the feasibility of an initial operational capability. It is planned for SPIRALE to be put in place only in 2019 at an estimated cost of between 700 and 800 million euros.

Mr POZZO DI BORGO recalled the importance of space observation, a fact that had already been recognised by the Commission in its 2003 White Paper on space. Remarking that the American early warning system had “cost a lot of money”, he regretted that the European states “lacked the will and the means” to develop their own system. “Space is one of Europe’s weak spots”, he said, adding that he feared the SPIRALE system would remain “purely French”.

The ESDA in particular recommended encouraging a dialogue between the EU member states and the French authorities with a view to cooperation in the follow-up to the SPIRALE programme and the future CERES (Capacité de renseignement électromagnétique spatial – spaceborne electromagnetic intelligence capability) operational programme. More generally, the Assembly encourages a process of reflection process within the appropriate structures (in particular the Political and Security Committee and the European Defence Agency) on Europe’s requirements and capabilities in the military space sector.