But the event comes at a time of strained relations between Europe and the U.S., including over space policy. Washington has lobbied against the European Commission’s EU Space Act, a proposed rulebook for space activities the U.S. sees as targeting American companies by imposing EU rules on them.
A Franco-German push to allocate more mobile-satellite frequencies to European companies, including the EU’s IRIS² satellite network, is also angering the U.S.
Brussels, Paris and Berlin do not want Europe’s satellite connectivity to depend entirely on Starlink or other U.S. providers. For Washington, however, it looks like another example of the EU using regulation and market access to build European champions at the expense of American companies.
French authorities first tried to downplay the Trump administration’s summit threat, arguing U.S. companies were still welcome.
Despite that effort, six French and space industry officials told POLITICO they were not surprised by what they describe as a classic Trump move. The U.S. administration has repeatedly tried to torpedo multilateral initiatives, ranging from global climate measures to quitting the World Health Organization, while also trying to block any European effort to reduce reliance on U.S. companies.
“This is so typical of Trump,” said a space company official who will be participating in the summit. Like others in this story, they were granted anonymity to speak candidly. “Trump likes to belittle Europeans … and even more Macron, who somehow embodies European ‘leadership.’”
Lackluster attendance by U.S. companies is a short-term blow to the summit and Macron. But several space and French officials stressed it will also energize European efforts to reduce reliance on the U.S.
“The silver lining is we’re diversifying our partnerships around the world, investing in our own space industry. It’s not about uncoupling but looking at what we can do with other partners,” said a space official.
Two space industry officials also told POLITICO that Trump’s boycott will have a limited impact. Even if the four companies skip next week’s summit, the World Space Business Week taking place a week later in Paris is set, for now, to include major American space companies like Starlink and Blue Origin.
