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The European Union (EU) has announced its support for a proposal by the United States to ban the destructive testing of direct-ascent anti-satellite missiles (ASAT). This endorsement from 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 on reducing space threats in Geneva next week to discuss on-orbit safety.

However, the US proposal is facing opposition from China and Russia, both of which are permanent members of the UN Security Council. These countries, along with the US, China, Russia, and India, have all conducted weapons tests that the proposal seeks to prohibit. China’s military has criticized the US commitment, stating that it sets no substantial limit to US military forces in outer space and that Washington has already carried out enough missile tests. China believes that the US is using multilateral commitments to maintain and enlarge its military superiority under the guise of false arms control.

The EU expressed concerns about the potential widespread and irreversible impacts on the outer space environment due to the use of destructive ASAT. The EU sees its commitment to supporting the ban as an urgent and initial measure to prevent damage to the outer space environment and contribute to further measures for the prevention of an arms race in outer space.

The proposed ban is backed by the administration of US President Joe Biden, with Vice-President Kamala Harris announcing last year that the US would unilaterally end such tests and introduce a resolution to the UN. In December, the UN General Assembly approved a non-binding moratorium on destructive anti-satellite missiles sponsored by the US, with 155 countries supporting the motion.

China has argued that the US commitment does not address the real security threats in outer space and 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. China urges the countries involved to abandon the Cold War mentality and negotiate legal instruments for arms control.

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