Ladies and gentlemen,
Honourable guests,
It is an honour to speak here today.
Together with Minister Ferracci.
Thanks to GIFAS for the invitation.
As the EUs first Commissioner for Defence and Space, I am pleased to be here.
With leaders of the French space industry, from government and business.
France is a powerful engine for European space cooperation.
After the launch of the Soviet Sputnik in the 50s, Pierre Auger realized no single European country could compete with the Soviet Union and the US.
But working together, Europe can keep up and lead.
Auger held the first meeting on European space cooperation in Paris, at his home. The result? The formation of ESRO and ELDO in the 60s, predecessors of ESA.
France and Europe have many achievements in space, such as the Ariane launcher and the European Spaceport in French Guiana.
Thanks to France, Europe is a leading space power.
But to maintain that, we must take bold steps.
We are at the start of a space revolution that will bring fast satellite internet and precise navigation.
The 21st century will be the century of space with a growing space economy.
Europe must be a leader in this. Ariane 6s inaugural flight and Vega-Cs return are important steps.
Access to space is vital for strategic autonomy.
But we risk falling behind. Commercial sales are down and we need space for our security and survival.
Satellites aid in communication and intelligence. But space itself has become a battleground.
Space will be decisive in war. Europes space assets protect us, but we must not fall behind.
To defend ourselves and space, Europe needs to show leadership in civil and military space applications.
We will further develop our space flagships, like Galileo and Copernicus, and ensure autonomy in space.
We need to invest in space and strengthen cooperation.
Its time for Europe to make the right choices for the future.
We must mobilize space for defence and intelligence. We need more than eyes in space; we need spies in space.
We must set up a European Space Shield as an important defence project.
In conclusion, I return to Pierre Auger, the French scientist who started European space cooperation.
He was a physicist active in government, like I was. Now I stand as the first EU Commissioner for space.
We are at the start of a global space race. Our response must be the same: cooperation.
Europes achievements in space are among the EUs greatest successes. But we are reaching a tipping point.
There must be change. Jean Monnet said: Men only make great decisions when crisis is on their doorstep.
Lets not wait for the crisis but act now.
We can rely on your engineering feats.
And you can rely on the European Commission for scale, coordination, funding, and leadership.
Our economic future depends on it. Our military survival may one day depend on it.
We must unite as a continent to lead in space, for the wellbeing of our people.
And with the ambition, energy, and skill of the French space industry, we will succeed.