Declaration by ESA's International Relations Committee, 2020

Reaffirming the importance of multilateral international cooperation in space activities

The International Relations Committee, convening at its 100th meeting on 4 and 5 November 2020:

HAVING REGARD to the Convention for the Establishment of a European Space Agency (ESA), which was signed on 30 May 1975 and entered into force on 30 October 1980;

HAVING REGARD to the decision of the ESA Council to establish the International Relations Committee through Resolution ESA/C/I/Res.2, adopted on 24 June 1975, and modified by Resolution ESA/C/XLIX/Res.2 of 30 June 1981, as one of its subordinate bodies, with the Committee’s current terms of reference laid down in document ESA/IRC(90)17;

HAVING REGARD to the history of successful Council resolutions on ESA’s policies, activities and programmes adopted since the Committee’s inception, including, most recently, the Resolution on Space: The five dimensions of Space 4.0 (ESA/C-M/CCLXXXVI/Res.1 (Final) adopted on 28 November 2019);

HAVING REGARD to the outstanding achievements in terms of activities, programmes and missions developed and performed by ESA in close coordination with its Member States and international partners;

ACKNOWLEDGING the fruitful role that international cooperation has played in this respect;

RECOGNISING the fundamental importance of continuous multilateral cooperation for the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, and NOTING ESA’s independent international relations activities in support of its existing and future programmes sustained by its Member States;

APPRECIATING ESA’s role as a permanent observer to the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, notably to support the strengthening of the legal order in space in accordance with the existing body of multilateral space treaties and principles, and ACKNOWLEDGING the importance of ESA’s coordination as well as its legal, scientific and technical support provided to Member States in this context, in particular in support of the long-term sustainability of outer space activities;

ENCOURAGING continuous dialogue with the European Union and international partners, particularly as far as international relations aspects are concerned;

NOTING with appreciation the assistance provided by the Committee to Council in preparation of decisions having relevance to international aspects and providing information on the recent developments in this area;

NOTING with satisfaction that ESA, also through this Committee, has been able to continue providing Member States with a mechanism of cooperation during the times of a global pandemic as witnessed in this year,

1. AFFIRMS the important role of the International Relations Committee in the framework of the Agency, notably as a forum for Member States to cooperate by exchanging views and coordinating positions on aspects of international relations and global challenges relating to space activities,

2. UNDERLINES the need for ever strengthened international cooperation efforts in the peaceful exploration and use of Outer Space, for the benefit and in the interest of all States and in accordance with international law, and therefore to further strengthen ESA international relations,

3. EMPHASISES the importance of a continued multilateral exchange on the scientific, technical, political as well as legal aspects of the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, particularly at times where such exchange may be difficult or threatened by circumstances, and

4. RECOMMENDS to Council to consider this Declaration and to continue endorsing and appreciating the importance of international relations and the Agency’s collective achievements in this area.