French President Emphasizes the Importance of Strengthening Europe's Technological Sovereignty

Paris, Sept 6 (KUNA) -- French President Emmanuel Macron underscored on Sunday the importance of the efforts by European scientific teams in developing new generations of rockets to bolster the technological sovereignty of the European continent. Macron’s stance came in a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) social media page, congratulating Germany on the successful launch of the Ariane 6 space rocket. Macron said that the successful launch of Ariane 6 is a cornerstone in restoring Europe’s independence and freedom to access space and compete with “global hegemony in the space industry,” emphasizing that “Europe is taking hold of its destiny and its future, especially in the space sector.” He added, “Arianespace is making history now. For the first time, a private European company has successfully placed its rocket into orbit after launching it from European soil.” He regarded this as “a notable achievement for Germany and a victory for all of Europe,” coming just days before the International Space Summit in Paris. Macron noted that “these successes demonstrate what our continent can achieve when it embraces innovation and investment, and builds its ambitions on the foundation of a strong and independent Europe, even in the space domain.” The German startup Arianespace launched its first rocket to space on Saturday from a site in Norway, within the Arctic region, in a move the company described as “making European history” on the path to achieving space autonomy. (End) M.B. / S.A.M.