In his latest statement, Niklas Nienaß, MEP, commented on how risky the involvement of private companies in war zones is, mentioning also that this raises political questions regarding the privatisation of spaceflight.
More specifically, Niklas Nienaß stated that “whether or not combat drones controlled via Western services should be deployed in Ukraine is a difficult question that needs to be carefully evaluated. In the end, however, it should not be companies or private individuals who decide, but democratically legitimized representatives of the people“.
Further he pointed out that the privatization of spaceflight has unleashed immense innovation over the past decade, from which we will all benefit, calling for taking also regulatory action.
What is more, Niklas Nienaß said that international rules and competition are needed in order to prevent monopolies and dangerous concentrations of power. At the same time, democratic actors need to work on building their own technologies.
Given that Europe is now gaining momentum, with IRIS², Mr. Nienaß lastly mentioned that “we are building our own technological capacities” and, therefore, “now we need to create a blueprint for future international regulation with a European Space Law!“
Please see the full statement on the site here.