Add outer space to the legislative competences

[Lars Næsbye Christensen]

The US and Swiss federal constitutions did not foresee spaceflight, robotic or human, the militarization of space since the Cold War and certainly not the mining of space resources, the launching of hundreds of telecom satellites blocking astronomic observations or the creation of vast amounts of space junk to hamper civilian endeavours.

Humanity is in space, Europe is in space, and we should consider taking this into account when writing our constitution. While space is currently mostly regulated through the UN treaty series, nothing appears to prohibit our federation to take a stewardship of the growing space sector and its increasing geopolitical importance.

To this end, I propose the following changes:

Section 2, 7. : “to regulate and enforce the rules to further and protect the climate and the quality of the water, soil, air and outer space;”

Section 2, 14. : “to declare war and make rules concerning captures on land, water or air or in outer space; to raise and support a European defense (army, navy, air force, space force); to provide for a militia to execute the laws of the Federation, to suppress insurrections and to repel invaders;”

Section 4, 2. : “No preference will be given through any regulation to commerce or to tax in the seaports, airports or spaceports of the States of the United States of Europe; nor will vessels, aircrafts or spacecrafts bound to, or from one State, be obliged to enter, clear or pay duties in another State.”

Section 4, 6. : “No State will, without the consent of the European Congress, have an army, navy, air force or space force, enter into any agreement or covenant with another State of the Federation or with a foreign State, or engage in a war, unless it is actually invaded or facing an imminent threat which precludes delay.”

[Jakub Jermar]

Good idea, was thinking about something like that myself.

[Autor]

Mesaje