EU Statement at the General Exchange of Views of the 69th session of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, 10 June 2026

EU Statement at the General Exchange of Views of the 69th session of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, 10 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, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

Chair,

We express our appreciation to Mr. Rafiq Akram of Morrocco for his successful mandate as Chair of the 68^th session of COPUOS and congratulate Professor Teodoro Valente of Italy on his appointment to chair the 69th and 70th sessions and Ambassador Melita Župevc of Slovenia for her appointment as the First Vice Chair.

We thank UNOOSA for its excellent work and its Director Aarti Holla-Maini, for her able leadership.

COPUOS and its Subcommittees remain unique platforms for international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, and for developing international space law, norms, guidelines, best practices and measures to enhance transparency and build confidence. We must ensure COPUOS remains able to deliver.

The UN Pact for the Futurecalls for action to ensure the safe and sustainable use of space for the benefit of all humankind and encourages COPUOS to further consult on the proposal for a fourth UN Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, UNISPACE IV, in 2027. The EU supports convening the Conference to address space sustainability, space traffic management and coordination, space debris and space resources, as well as international cooperation, and to invite the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders.

As responsible space actors, the EU and its Member States are committed to promoting the universalisation and implementation of international instruments on outer space, in particular the Outer Space Treaty, which remains the cornerstone of the international legal regime governing outer space activities. All activities in outer space must be conducted in accordance with the Outer Space Treaty, and we encourage all States to ratify it and fully implement its provisions.

Chair,

The EU recalls the successful EU Space Days held in Nicosia, Cyprus, from 26 to 27 May 2026, highlighting the benefits of the EU Space Programme for society and industry. The EU looks forward to the European Space Forum in Brussels from 30 June to 1 July 2026, which will further strengthen cooperation in space policy, security, and international partnerships.

Chair,

The EU Space Programme continues to focus on Earth Observation, Satellite Navigation, Connectivity, and Space Research and Innovation. Components such as GALILEO, EGNOS, and COPERNICUS, benefit millions of users within the EU and in third countries, and IRIS² aims to provide secure telecommunications services.

The EU and its Member States remain committed to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Space 2030 Agenda. The EU recognises that space technologies support the SDGs, and carries out capacity-building and other activities under the EU's Global Gateway accordingly. For example, COPERNICUS strengthens resilience and reduces vulnerabilities to natural disasters, while supporting climate adaptation, food security and environmental protection in third countries. We appreciate UNOOSA's efforts in visualizing contributions to the Space Agenda 2030 mid-term review and follow with interest the gap analysis of current and future benefits and opportunities, as well as evolving needs and challenges under the Space for Development initiative.

Space traffic and space debris mitigation remain key issues for COPUOS to ensure long-term orbital sustainability. We encourage the Working Group on the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities to further advance discussions on implementing the 21 LTS Guidelines, the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines, capacity-building, and on new challenges. This work should continue beyond 2026 within COPUOS' mandate.

The EU shares information and experience on space traffic coordination, and space traffic management as a global endeavour. Since 2016, EU Space Surveillance and Tracking has provided collision avoidance services to protect satellites and re-entry prediction services to help protect populations and critical infrastructure on Earth, including for non-European users.

We welcome the establishment of the Expert Group on Space Situational Awareness, chaired by the UAE under the Working Group on LTS, and look forward to contributing to its work. The EU welcomes further discussions on the legal aspects of space traffic, including the possibility of establishing a designated mechanism on this topic, such as a working group, andits possible role and mandate.

We welcome progress by the Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation (ATLAC), under the co-chairmanship of Romania and Pakistan, as an important forum for advancing dialogue on the safe, sustainable and coordinated exploration and use of the Moon.

Chair,

The EU and its Member States strongly support the international rules-based order, with the United Nations at its core, and a multilateral approach to international affairs.

The EU remains gravely concerned about the current international context affecting multilateral work, including cooperation on outer space issues. Violations of the UN Charter undermine the whole UN system. We strongly condemn Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as the DPRK's illegal actions in violation of multiple Security Council Resolutions, including its satellite launches using ballistic missile technology.

Thank you.