France Advocates for EU to Prioritize European Defence Components

France's Call for a 'Buy European Act'

By Julia Payne

Need for Autonomous Space Access

BRUSSELS, Jan 27 (Reuters) - If the European Union wants to be serious about defence, the first step is to stop buying non-European components with a "Buy European Act", France's minister for space said on Tuesday.   

Challenges in Low Earth Orbit

The EU relies heavily on U.S.-made missiles and fighter jets along with many high-tech defence products. 

Collaboration Among European Nations

In space, the EU used Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch critical satellites such as its Galileo system, which runs Europe's location services independent of the U.S. GPS system. 

"The world has drastically changed and our main ally has become highly unpredictable," the French minister Philippe Baptiste said, adding to growing calls round the world for greater self-reliance in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's erratic foreign policy.

"We need to have autonomous access to space. It's a radical change from the way we behave. We need to design European (satellite) constellations which means there is no American kill switch," Baptiste added to reporters on the sidelines of a European space conference in Brussels.

"To be serious, the first step is we need a kind of 'Buy European Act´. Let's stop buying on-the-shelf components that are not European."

He pointed to the war in Ukraine where entrepreneur Elon Musk decided to disconnect his satellite internet service Starlink, disrupting a counter-offensive by Kyiv. 

"We need ITAR-free constellations," he Baptiste added, referring to strict U.S. International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR) that govern the export of components.

"I agree with Germany. We think it's very urgent and we cannot wait 10 years."

EU-WIDE EFFORT NEEDED

With the bloc lagging behind on Low Earth Orbit satellites, Baptiste cautioned efforts should be at EU level and there was no point in individual nations like France, Germany and Italy building their own systems. LEO satellites are critical for real-time defence uses as high-orbit have longer signal delays.

"Today we have countries who have weaponised satellites. It's not science fiction, it exists. Our industry needs to cooperate better," he said.   

China, Russia and the U.S. have demonstrated anti-satellite weapons and launched manoeuvrable spacecraft, raising worries that an attack during conflict could disrupt GPS navigation or sever channels of communication.

The EU's new launcher Ariane 6 only completed its first mission last year after years of delays.

France is pushing for international regulation for LEO satellites as collision risks rise and the capacity of transmission frequency bands becomes limited. 

"We need to have discussions among the big players - it's us, the United States and China," he said.

"It's overcrowded up there. There is no choice ... when there will be a collision with a Chinese satellite whether it's America First or not - you have a collision." 

The threat of U.S. primacy has triggered consolidation among European companies active in space. 

Europe's biggest satellite firms - Airbus, Thales and Leonardo - announced a $7 billion merger last year in order to compete with SpaceX and Starlink. The merger has prompted two major German companies Rheinmetall and satellite maker OHB to discuss a joint bid on a satellite project for Germany's armed forces. 

(Reporting by Julia Payne; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)