Von der Leyen to deliver major speech on EU space policy in Paris

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BRUSSELS — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver a major speech dedicated solely to space at the International Space Summit in Paris on Sept. 10, two officials working on preparations for the event told POLITICO.

The address comes as the Commission prepares to unveil its European Space Shield, an action plan aimed at protecting the bloc’s satellites and other space assets in what officials increasingly describe as an increasingly hostile security environment.

French President Emmanuel Macron is convening a two-day International Space Summit at Paris’ Grand Palais venue on Sept. 9-10. It is expected to bring together delegations from more than 120 countries alongside space agencies, industry leaders, scientists and military officials.

Von der Leyen’s participation in the event has not been previously reported.

The Commission president’s focus on space reflects mounting concern over Russian hybrid actions that appear to be taking aim at Europe’s reliance on satellites for everything from military communications to civilian navigation. GPS jamming and spoofing, for example, have surged recently around the Baltic Sea, disrupting thousands of flights, according to Sweden’s public broadcaster SVT . Von der Leyen herself got a taste of the potential risks last year when the private jet she was taking to Bulgaria experienced GPS interference .

The space policy address also comes as von der Leyen continues to build up the Commission’s defense and security apparatus — including a new top recruitment of a senior official poached from the EU’s diplomatic service.

Benedikta von Seherr-Thoss, currently the European External Action Service’s managing director for peace, security and defense, is expected to join the Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS). POLITICO previously reported she is expected to be appointed director for a new unit on Ukraine.

Von Seherr-Thoss did not respond to several requests for comment. The European Commission’s spokesperson service declined to comment on senior appointments.

The expected move comes at a sensitive moment for the EEAS and its chief, former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. Von der Leyen has increasingly sought to expand the Commission’s footprint in areas traditionally associated with the EU’s diplomatic service , from defense and foreign policy to intelligence, adding to tensions over where the Commission’s remit ends and the EEAS’ begins.