Marjolijn Van Deelen, Special Envoy for Space, European External Action Service, has expressed the EU’s willingness to discuss with Indian partners how they can further work together on space cooperation and security.
In an interview with ANI, Deelan noted that India and the EU can do a lot of things together as they are both top-tier space-faring nations. She called it crucial to keep space secure for all nations in the world.
When asked how India and the EU can work together in the space sector, Marjolijn Van Deelen said, “I think there are a lot of things that the EU and India can do together. They are both top-tier space-faring nations and groups. The EU has an EU space programme, so we are ready to come and sit down with our Indian partners to discuss how we can take this further, both in terms of space cooperation but also looking at space security because it is crucial that we keep space secure for all nations in the world and also for future generations, we need to be able to have access.”
On how two nations can work together to ensure security in the space sector, she responded, “I think as a first step it’s really key that we discuss how each of us perceives the threats in space, to have a common understanding of that, and also to cooperate in the multilateral discussions that are taking place right now to develop a much better framework and rules of the road if you want for how countries should behave in space in order to make us all more secure and there India can be a key partner for the EU.”
She said that there is a lot of ongoing interaction between Indian space companies and EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST). She stated that India and the EU have the same objectives in keeping space safe and secure.
When asked whether there is any specific product discussed between the two sides, Marjolijn Van Deelen said, “I think it will really help if we have this broader discussion together with the Commission that manages the space programme. I look at the security and defence side so that we can see how we can move forward in a comprehensive way. But while being here in India, I already learned there is a lot of interaction between Indian space companies and for example the EU SST, so there’s already a lot going on, and it helps to give that a little bit of a ….”
Marjolijn Van Deelen stated that India and the EU support the same process in the United Nations. Asked how India and the EU can work together as both nations believe in rules-based governance in the space sector, she said, “I think we have the same objectives in keeping space safe and secure as the global commons. We come from different angles, but I think we both support the same process in the UN. So, it’s key that we keep discussing in the UN context how we can support and also where we differ, what does that mean and for us to understand India’s position and for India to better understand ours, and out of that to each become better actors and to come to a common understanding for all of us, and I think if the EU and India do that, there will also be of interest from many other countries.”
(With inputs from ANI)
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