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The European Union (EU) has announced its support for a US proposal to ban destructive testing of direct-ascent anti-satellite missiles (ASAT). This endorsement by the 27 EU member nations, most of whom are NATO allies, brings the total number of supporting countries to 35. The EU’s statement comes ahead of a meeting by a UN working group in Geneva next week, focusing on reducing space threats and discussing on-orbit safety.

China and Russia, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, are opposed to the US proposal. The US, China, Russia, and India have all conducted weapons tests that the proposal seeks to prohibit. However, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, criticized the US commitment, arguing that it does not place significant limits on US military forces in outer space. He claimed that the US has already conducted enough missile tests and developed other types of anti-satellite weapons.

The EU expressed concerns about the destructive impact of ASAT on the outer space environment. They view their support for the ban as an urgent measure to prevent such damage while contributing to further measures against an arms race in outer space.

The proposed ban has been promoted by the administration of US President Joe Biden. US Vice-President Kamala Harris announced last year that the US would unilaterally end such tests and planned to introduce a resolution to the UN. In December, a non-binding moratorium on destructive anti-satellite missiles was approved by the UN General Assembly, with 155 countries supporting the motion. China, Russia, and seven other countries objected, while India and eight other countries abstained.

China argues that the US commitment does not address the real security threats in outer space and believes that the ultimate solution should be a legally binding total prohibition on the deployment of weapons in space, the use of force, and the threat of force against space objects.

The EU’s support for the US proposal reinforces the international call to limit anti-satellite missile tests and aims to prevent further damage to the outer space environment.

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