Von der Leyen set to deliver major speech on Europe’s space policy
The speech is the first ever by the Commission president dedicated solely to space policy at a moment of heightened security concern over satellites.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is scheduled to deliver a major speech on space policy at the International Space Summit in Paris on September 10, according to officials working on the event preparations. The speech coincides with the unveiling of the European Space Shield, an action plan designed to safeguard the EU's satellites and space assets in an increasingly hostile security environment.
French President Emmanuel Macron is convening the two-day summit at Paris' Grand Palais, which is expected to gather delegations from over 120 countries, space agencies, industry leaders, scientists, and military officials. Von der Leyen's participation in the event has not been previously reported, but her focus on space policy reflects growing concerns over Russian hybrid actions targeting Europe's satellite reliance, such as GPS jamming and spoofing that have disrupted thousands of flights in the Baltic Sea.
Von der Leyen experienced GPS interference herself last year on her private jet journey to Bulgaria. The space policy address also comes as von der Leyen strengthens the Commission's defense and security apparatus, including the recent appointment of Benedikta von Seherr-Thoss, a former EU diplomat, as the new director of the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space within the Commission's Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS).
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