European External Action Service

06/11/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/11/2026 04:13

EU Statement at COPUOS69 on ways and means of maintaining outer space for peaceful purpose, 11 June 2026

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EU Statement at COPUOS69 on ways and means of maintaining outer space for peaceful purpose, 11 June 2026

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.

Chair,

The EU remains fully committed to the principle of the peaceful uses of Outer Space enshrined in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and other relevant UN treaties on outer space, accompanied by the guiding principles developed under the UN framework. These documents constitute the cornerstone of global governance in outer space.

In 2025, the Russian Federation tabled and subsequently withdrew its draft resolution "Space Science and Technology for promoting peace" at the Fourth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The EU and its Member States recognize the Russian Federation's efforts in drafting this resolution, but we are not in a position to support it at the current stage. To start with, we believe that some elements of the draft resolution link it more to the work of the Open-ended Working Group on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space in Geneva, as well as to the UNGA First Committee agenda. With this background, it may need further explanation, including from competence angle, why this issue is brought up in COPUOS.

Competence issues apart, we believe that this draft resolution constitutes a duplication, given that most issues it deals with are covered by the last annual "omnibus resolution" on the peaceful uses of outer space as well as several other UNGA resolutions. We also note that the draft is in contradiction with some existing UNGA resolutions, and that it includes unclear language. As such conditions potentially undermine the consistency of the work of COPUOS and, through it, that of UNGA, we cannot back such a resolution.

The EU and its Member States trust that their position will be received in the constructive and respectful spirit in which it is intended.

Thank you.

European External Action Service published this content on June 11, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on June 11, 2026 at 10:14 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]