Signature by Belgium of the Artemis Accords

On 23 January 2024, Belgium, represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hadja Lahbib, and the Secretary of State for Science Policy, Thomas Dermine, signed the Artemis Accords.

The Artemis Accords are a set of legally non-binding principles for cooperation in the civil exploration of the Moon, Mars, comets and asteroids for peaceful purposes. They were adopted on 13 October 2020 at the initiative of the United States and have now been signed by 34 States, including Belgium.

As a State participating in and contributing to European and international space exploration programmes, in particular the Artemis programme, Belgium considers the Artemis Agreements to be an important political instrument, guiding the activities of the signatory States and their non-governmental actors in the exploration of outer space, and in full compliance with existing international law, in particular the provisions of the 1967 United Nations Outer Space Treaty.

The Artemis Agreements cover major aspects of space exploration, such as the promotion of peaceful objectives, transparency, interoperability, mutual assistance, registration of space objects, dissemination of scientific data, preservation of outer space heritage, space resources, peaceful space activities and action against orbital debris.

Belgium's signature of the Artemis Accords is part of its proactive participation in the work of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS). As a party to the five United Nations treaties on outer space, Belgium, in close collaboration with other Member States, has launched several actions within the Committee over the past decade to promote the establishment of an international multilateral legal framework for equitable access to and benefits from space resources, as well as for the safe and sustainable use of these resources. To this end, a specialised working group has been set up by UNCOPUOS to explore and suggest possible solutions for such an international legal framework. Belgium welcomes the active participation of many Artemis Signatory States in this working group. It is clear that the Artemis Accords are an important contribution, among others, to the working group's reflections.

Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade: "Belgium has always had its feet on the ground and its head in the stars. Our country is one of the world leaders in space exploration. The signing of the Artemis Accords reflects our ongoing commitment to sustainable and responsible space, and will strengthen our ties with international partners. It will also open up new economic opportunities for our companies, which have world-renowned expertise in the space sector.

Thomas Dermine, Secretary of State for Space Policy: "Signing up to the Artemis Accords is part of our cooperation approach and will enable Belgium to join the working group of states that have also signed up to the accords. Signing these accords is also a necessary and important condition for the possible participation of a Belgian astronaut in a mission under the Artemis programme, which aims to return to the moon with several missions as from 2027".