Speech by President von der Leyen at the International Space Summit

“Check against delivery!”

Merci beaucoup cher Emmanuel pour cette impression, Sophie est géniale et sympa. 

Dear President, cher Emmanuel, Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you for bringing us together in this extraordinary Grand Palais. It was built at the turn of the last century to showcase the innovations transforming the world. I cannot think of a better place for today's summit. We are discussing the innovations taking place now above us, in our orbits and beyond. Because since the turn of this century, space-based capabilities have transformed our daily lives. They connect us across continents. Guide us wherever we go. And help us understand our nature and how it is changing.

Europe has been at the heart of this transformation. We see that in the capabilities we have built together – and in the difference, they make to people's lives. This summer, as emergency teams across Europe and beyond rushed to respond to wildfires, Europe's Copernicus system was there to help. Our satellites provided near real-time data to track the fires and direct support where it was needed. They helped identify areas most at-risk before fires broke out. This helped us to preposition 800 firefighters in high-risk areas - standing ready to reinforce local teams from the first critical hours on. This is just one example. In recent weeks, Copernicus has supported the response to the devastating floods in Nepal. And every day, it allows scientists to track the impact of climate change, from the melting ice of the Arctic to the forests of the Amazon. These data are free and open to the world – they help us respond to the biggest challenges we share. And Copernicus is not alone. Galileo is used by more than 4.5 billion devices worldwide. It guides our cars and planes. It provides the precise timing that our financial systems or our electricity grids depend on. It helps emergency services locate people when every second counts. Now we are strengthening it further, with a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit. And from the very start, cooperation was built into Galileo, to work with GPS in order to give users more reliable services. Galileo and Copernicus are not just for Europe. They are European investments that have become global public goods. And we are proud of them.

Ladies and gentlemen,

These systems are so deeply woven into our lives that it is easy to forget how ambitious they once seemed. When Galileo was first proposed more than 25 years ago, some questioned why Europe needed its own system at all – when GPS already existed. But Europe's leaders understood that some capabilities are too important to depend on others. So, they chose to build together what no Member State could build alone. To think decades ahead. To invest at scale. To act as one Europe. Today Galileo underpins our economy and gives Europe the freedom to act independently. And that same choice is before us again. Because space is entering a new age. Humans are returning to the moon. Satellites are becoming cheaper and more capable. Artificial intelligence is transforming what we can do with the data gathered in space. And, as Russia's war against Ukraine shows, what happens in our orbits is ever more central to our security. Space is again a great frontier for our prosperity, security and independence. And just as the capabilities we depend on today are the result of choices made decades ago, the choices we make now will shape our place in space for decades to come.

The opportunity in front of us is enormous. The global space economy is expected to almost triple by 2035 – from around USD630 billion today to around USD1.8 trillion. Europe begins from a position of strength. We have cutting-edge technologies, world-leading talent, and a strong space industrial base. But strength today is no guarantee of leadership tomorrow. To remain at the forefront Europe must act together, invest at scale, and turn our market into a competitive advantage. Let us have a closer look at these points.

First, we must act as one Europe. The Commission, the European Space Agency and national governments - we must pool our strengths. Our industries are calling for clear and predictable demand, to give them the certainty they need to invest and scale. Nowhere is that clearer than for space transportation. With Ariane 6 and Vega-C, Europe has its own launch capabilities. And across our continent, a new generation of innovative companies are growing. Just this weekend, a German start-up backed by EUR 10 million in European Innovation Council funding, launched the first ever commercial rocket into orbit from continental Europe. Now we must build on this momentum. That is why, with the European Space Agency, we are committing to a new European vision on access to space. To bring together European demand and act as anchor customers for European launchers. This is how we keep a competitive space-transport-industry in Europe, and keep our independent access to space.

Second, we need investment at scale. With our Cassini Investment facility, we are mobilising 2 billion EUR in risk capital for European space companies. This is supporting innovation here in Europe. Be it firms tracking ships that evade conventional systems. Or companies developing reusable spacecraft to carry cargo into orbit and one day perhaps people. Our new EUR 5 billion Scaleup Europe Fund goes further. It invests in strategic technologies where Europe needs global champions, including space. And in our proposal for Europe's next long-term budget, space is at the heart of the European Competitiveness Fund. We have proposed EUR 131 billion for defence, security and space – five times the funding available today. We must maintain our ambition and get this across the line. Because – again – the technologies we finance today will determine our competitiveness tomorrow.

Third, we must turn the scale of Europe into an advantage. Our companies are no longer competing primarily at a national or European scale. They are competing with companies on a global level. Our policies need to reflect that reality. That starts with our Single Market. We have proposed a ‘Single Market in satellite communications', with spectrum assigned at European level. Our EU Space Act replaces fragmentation with a common European framework for safety, resilience and sustainability. So that a European entrepreneur can build and operate from day one in a market of 450 million people.

And we are updating our competition policy. We have proposed updated Merger Guidelines - so that they recognise that European companies need scale to invest and compete globally. This is precisely what Airbus, Thales, and Leonardo are trying to achieve with their proposed joint venture called Bromo. These are the types of industrial champions we need if Europe is to lead in the space economy of tomorrow.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The ability to access and act in space not only underpins our prosperity, it increasingly determines our security and independence. Nowhere is this clearer than in Ukraine. Satellite communications keep soldiers connected, while satellite imagery reveal movements hundreds of kilometres away. And we increasingly see it in our Union itself. We see navigation signals jammed and spoofed, disrupting civilian aircraft. Cyberattacks on satellite networks knocking critical infrastructure offline. And drones hovering in our airspace, using technologies dependent on navigation from above. The message is clear: our security on Earth increasingly depends on our security in space. That is why we are building IRIS², a multi-orbit constellation for secure communication. Last month, we decided to accelerate the system, by expanding it to more than 350 satellites. This gives additional capacity for defence, security and emergency services. The first satellites will launch from 2029. Until then, we are already bringing together existing capacity to provide secure communications. Because in a crisis, Europe must have connectivity on our own terms.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Space-based systems become increasingly fundamental to our economies and our security. Therefore, we need to protect them. That is the purpose of our European Space Shield. The Space Shield brings our capabilities together into a comprehensive European system. With better awareness and greater defences against jamming and spoofing. With joint action to fill critical capability gaps. From space-based early warning to the protection of our satellites. No Member State can build these capabilities alone. But together, Europe has the scale to do it.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I have spoken today about Europe's role in this new space age. About investing in the capabilities to strengthen our economy and our independence. But independence does not mean isolation. Independence means – having a choice. The orbits above us are a shared resource. And we have a shared responsibility to protect them. That is why I welcome the UN Group on Space Situational Awareness established here today. And it is why, through our Space Act, Europe is working to set strong universal standards for the safe, secure and sustainable use of space. Because space belongs to no single country. Astronauts who return from orbit often speak of the humbling experience of seeing our planet from above. As Thomas Pesquet put it, Earth is an “oasis in the cosmos.” A beautiful but fragile home, shared by us all. That view from space should guide us. From Copernicus to Galileo, Europe's greatest achievements have been built based on cooperation. That is the European way. Strong enough to act independently but confident enough to work with others. Because the greatest possibilities of space will only be realised when we work together. That is the spirit we bring to this new space age.

Thank you. And long live Europe.