The European Union depends on the United States for its security

Destroy your satellite in orbit with a missile to show your military capabilities to the whole world. how many he did From Russia in mid-November last year, it was nothing more than a warning from the Kremlin to make the West understand that a clash over Ukraine’s fate – then only diplomatic – would soon turn into war. This episode demonstrated the geopolitical and strategic importance of space, but it was also a wake-up call for Europe, which today has to rely on the United States to see if space debris—perhaps remnants from a downed Russian satellite—risk a collision. one of its satellites.

In recent decades, space has been ‘filled’ with tools that allow humanity to live in a context of permanent interconnectedness thanks to the constant exchange of data between the most popular technologies, such as smartphones, televisions, car navigators and satellites in orbit. . However, in space there are no rules or institutions capable of obligating governments, for example, to remove satellites that are no longer working or collect debris left in orbit. Hence there is an increased risk of collisions with the consequences of human activities that rely on satellite data.

Critical issues so far neglected by Brussels and still dependent on US allies for its security, as highlighted in a recent article in Politico Europe, one of the most influential newspapers in the so-called Eurobolla. “Although the European Union has some world-class space resources, including the Galileo Navigation and Positioning System and the Copernicus Earth Observation Network – the online newspaper reads – the union has lagged behind the US and China in key areas of the space race, such as satellite launchers and towers. And knowledge of the space context, which is crucial to security and prosperity in the twenty-first century.”

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However, the EU could reverse course using the method already in place on the web: dictating the rules that apply to anyone who wants to do business in the European single market of around 450 million people. Politico concludes that “Europe can indeed be a force for fair regulation, sustainable traffic management, and arms control in space: it only needs to look at its own defence,” encouraging Brussels to invest in space security.