Macron calls for 'shared governance' of space at Paris summit

Speaking at the two-day International Space Summit in Paris Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron called for "shared governance" of space in a speech urging European nations to work together to build up their joint sovereign space capabilities.

“Outer space remains the only major global commons that is not subject to regulations that match the stakes,” he said. “Shared governance is necessary to address these challenges.”

He described Europe's space sector as "fragile", but insisted that it could become a major world player. Macron announced some €20 billion in investments for Europe's space industry, and urged the bloc to develop its own crewed spaceflight programme.

"France has a long-reaching and unique history when it comes to space," he said. "Space policy was always built through cooperation here."

Key figures from Europe's space industry and other international players have converged on Paris to discuss how to advance the continent's ambitions in a global market dominated by the United States.

The two-day International Space Summit that started Wednesday gathers officials, astronauts, researchers and industry leaders from about 120 countries to discuss the future of the space industry and pursue potential business deals.

European nations have sought to build up their sovereign space capabilities since 2022 and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which highlighted how Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications service has become both a critical partner for Kyiv and a potential vulnerability.

“For Europe there's a lot at stake,” the director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher said. “Satellites are really being utilised day in, day out. It's what we call a critical infrastructure, therefore extremely important for every citizen.”

The United States remains the global leader in the space sector, with NASA conducting major exploration missions and overseeing the Artemis program, which aims to establish a human presence on the moon.

Musk's rocket company, SpaceX, has transformed the commercial launch industry by making reusable rockets operational, lowering costs and increasing the frequency of launches.

Meanwhile, Amazon launched its first internet satellites in 2025. The company plans to deploy more than 3,200 satellites to provide broadband service around the world. Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos also established the rocket company Blue Origin.

SpaceX and Blue Origin cancelled plans to attend the Paris summit, the French government said. News outlet Politico reported that the White House had urged US space companies not to attend because it could appear to support European Union policies.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)