< IMG SRC = "https://img.tsn.ua/cached/701/tsn-7a7Afafe7a64cd96a891771cf6b F5B51/Thumbs/1036x648/79/A3/70DBD107AA6BA4304F414BF795B8A379.jpeg " />~ 60 >< strong > three European aerospace companies want to combine efforts to compete with SpaceX mask. < strong > 60 ~/p ~ 60 > aerospace companies Airbus, Leonardo and Thales Alenia Space are thinking about creating a joint venture to expand the production of satellites. The goal is to compete with Starlink and other international players, especially in the field of satellites of low near -Earth orbit, which are used in commercial telecommunications.
< p > Politico writes about this.
< p >In January, Italian Prime Minister George Maloni expressed regret that at the moment there are no state alternatives when she was asked about negotiations with a mask by agreement of 1.5 billion euros to ensure safe communication with the help of Starlink. < p > “this question is why Italy and Europe did not have time to create state technologies in time for a safe connection ?” – added Maloni. this question seems especially relevant against the background of unpredictable foreign policy of US President Donald Trump. Last week, it was reported that the American satellite company stopped Ukraine’s access to satellite images after the “administrative request” of Washington.
60 > but without the support of governments, in particular the Maloni government, any attempt to create European industrial champions is doomed to a failure. For example, the proposed merger of 38 billion euros between EADS and BAE Systems 10 years ago was canceled due to the inability of governments to coordinate the conditions. < p > < p >Italy owns 30% of Leonardo shares, which has 33% in Thales alenia Space.
< h2 > Germany resists< p > France, in all likelihood, will support the agreement, but the ambitious association is faced with opposition from Germany. Berlin believes that he is supplanted from the space and satellite spheres France and Italy. Former Chancellor Olaf Sholts recently opposed another merger – between the Italian bank Unicredit and the German Commerzbank, which was supposed to create a pan -European financial giant. ~ 60 > 62 ~ < h2 > regulatory labyrinth
< p > at the same time the leadership of the European Commission is in the desperate search for industrial winners.
< p >“The continental scale is our largest, the largest advantage in the world of giants,” said the European Commission President Ursula von der Lyain at the Economic Forum in Davos in January. ~ 60 > 62 ~ < p > However, the agreement will require the approval of the European Union to merge, and the unification of three leading manufacturers of the bloc satellites creates a serious problem for the competitive bodies of the EU. Their current rules do not approve of agreements that leave too few competitors in the market.< P > Airbus, Leonardo and Thales Alenia Space, known under the working name Project Bromo, could really compete with foreign players in the field of commercial telecommunication satellites. However, it would have very limited competition or would not have it at all in the field of military and state tenders in the EU, which are reserved only for European companies. < p > < p >The German company OHB, which remained the only main competitor for state contracts with the European Space Agency, has already opposed the agreement. She warns that this will create a monopoly that will damage to customers and the space industry in Europe.
< p > “we are concerned about this merger, it affects our deliveries, supplies and everything else. I do not think that from the point of view of antimonopoly legislation it is possible or desirable to create a monopoly,” said OH CEO Marco Fuchs.
62 > 62 > < p > he added that the company will express the fears of the European Commission when the merger process begins.~ 60 > prospect of containing expansion in Europe can become an attractive factor for some politicians. 62 ~ < p >“The space industry is developing rapidly, and private companies, such as SpaceX Starlink, dominate in the deployment of satellites in a low -earth orbit,” said the general director of the Spaceabc consulting company Zuzanna Beno.
62 > 62 > 62 > 62 > 62 > 62 > 62 > 62 > 62 ~ < p > according to her, a potential joint venture “is a strategic opportunity for Europe to strengthen its position in the global satellite industry.” However, it is still not clear how the new EU policy under the industrial strategy will be consistent with compliance with the rules of competition. < p > < p > As the general director of the Airbus Guillaume Fori said at an aerospace event in France in January, “uncertainty regarding the position of the European authorities according to the antimonopoly rules” prevents the unification of three companies.
62 > 62 ~ < p > “If we cannot scale in sectors such as space or defense, we will remain marginal and will not be able to invest in satellite constellations or new technologies at the proper level,” Fori warned. < p > Meanwhile, Airbus and Thales are already participating in the IRIS² project – a pan -European program of cyber -brushed satellite communications for governments and armies. But because of the bureaucratic delay of the EU member state, the EU is already beginning to look for alternatives.< p > “If we are late, it is obvious that we will have a huge problem,” the French deputy of the European Parliament Valeri Aye, Recall, on the eve of Musk said that the Ukrainian front can “sprinkle” if it turned off Starlink.
< p > However, on the same day, the billionaire said that Starlink terminals in Ukraine will never be disconnected, regardless of his personal views on the country's policy. < p > < u >< strong > read also: < h4 > similar topics:more news
