Europe must increase its strategic autonomy in space in order to compete with countries such as China and the United States, French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, speaking at a meeting of ministers from the 22 member countries of the European Space Agency in Paris to approve a record budget of 18.5 billion euros over three to five years, depending on the program, Politico reported. 

Le Maire said capitals should pay for autonomous access to space.

There has to be a united Europe, a unified European space policy and unwavering unity to counter Chinese and American ambitions, Le Maire said.

While Europe has its own satellite systems to monitor climate change and provide geolocation services, it does not have the ability to send its astronauts into space or offer commercial satellite communications services, for example.

Negotiations at the two-day conference will cover funding for everything from research projects to meteorological satellites like Aeolus, which can track global wind streams, as well as a mission to Mars and extra money for a secure satellite communications system proposed by the European Commission.

But the negotiations are taking place against a backdrop of skyrocketing inflation and a cost-of-living crisis that has put public spending in the spotlight.

France is generally the European aerospace leader, but during the last ESA summit in 2019, Germany overtook it as the largest budget donor.

Before Tuesday's summit, Le Maire and his German and Italian counterparts Robert Habeck and Adolfo Urso agreed to help fund Europe's delayed Ariane 6 rocket system along with Vega C, which is launched from French Guiana.

The deal resolves disagreements between the three countries over how best to develop rocket technology, with stiff competition for commercial and government satellite launches and the end of cooperation with Russia's Roscosmos because of the war in Ukraine.