Seven capitals tell Brussels to keep its hands off military space power

Brussels has found a new arena in which to expand its reach, and seven member states have politely suggested that it might not be needed there either. France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden want the proposed European Space Shield redesigned so that it protects EU space systems, while the development of military space capabilities remains in national hands.

That is not a minor adjustment. It is a rebuke to the way the European Commission has pitched the project since last year’s Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030. Paris and Berlin, long sceptical of the idea, have now put their own version on paper, and the other five capitals have signed on. One can almost hear the sigh in the Berlaymont: yet another grand initiative, and yet another reminder that member states still have a habit of noticing when Brussels is trying to do too much.

The paper says a European space security architecture should integrate existing and emerging national capabilities, as well as agreed EU mechanisms, while avoiding unnecessary duplication. It also says the Commission and the European External Action Service have not managed to define the purpose or scope of the initiative, despite three dedicated workshops in the past six months. In other words, a lot of institutional motion, not much clarity.

The signatories want the name itself changed, arguing that “shield” suggests EU capability development. They draw a clear line around sovereignty: responsibility for security and defence, including the procurement, operation and defence of space systems used for those purposes, belongs exclusively to the member states. That is a rather unfashionable idea in Brussels, where centralisation is often treated as a substitute for competence.

At the same time, the governments do not reject cooperation. They back EU-wide coordination of procurement for military space capabilities, as national programmes continue to grow, and they want better exchanges between national and European authorities on threats, vulnerabilities and technical issues. They also support pooling and sharing where that helps states complement one another rather than duplicate effort.

The paper places the real core of the project elsewhere: resilience and defence of EU space systems, not the creation of a supranational military space arm. It also raises concerns about the next long-term EU budget, especially the growing military use of civilian programmes, the security of dual-use components and the awkward question of how European space services would prioritise civilian and military needs in a crisis.

There is also a more practical complaint. The signatories want the Commission to rationalise a fragmented funding landscape made up of Horizon Europe, European Investment Bank investments and the European Defence Fund. The message is simple enough: if the EU wants to help, it should coordinate, support and stop multiplying instruments for the sake of appearance.

The seven governments say they support a European Space Shield initiative, or whatever it may eventually be called, if it delivers concrete value to European security. But they insist that the key capabilities remain the sovereign prerogative of the member states. For once, that sounds less like resistance than common sense.

Written by Andreas Hofer andreas.hofer@alpineweekly.com