In its Conclusions of 8-9 December 2008, the Council of the European Union supported the first draft for an international Code of Conduct for outer-space activities, in which States would participate on a voluntary basis, and which included transparency and confidence-building measures, as a basis for consultations with key third countries that have activities in outer space or have interests in outer-space activities, with the aim of reaching a text that is acceptable to the greatest number of countries.

In its Conclusions of 8-9 December 2008, the Council supported the first draft for an international Code of Conduct for outer-space activities, in which States would participate on a voluntary basis, and which included transparency and confidence-building measures, as a basis for consultations with key third countries that have activities in outer space or have interests in outer space activities, with the aim of reaching a text that is acceptable to the greatest number of countries.

9. Supports the efforts in the UN to establish rules to govern activities in outer space and further develop the codification of international space law; welcomes, in this respect, the adoption of the EU Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities, which also takes account of the need for debris reduction and remains open for signing by all non-EU countries; reiterates its call that the Code of Conduct be transformed into a legally binding instrument;

45. Calls for the international legal regime to be strengthened so as to regulate and protect non-aggressive space uses and for the strengthening of TCBMs, within the framework of the drafting by the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) of space debris mitigation guidelines consistent with those of the Inter-Agency Debris Coordination Committee as well as the development by the UN Conference on Disarmament of a multilateral agreement on the prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space; furthermore, asks the EU Presidency to represent the EU proactively in COPUOS; calls on the EU institutions to promote a conference to ...[+++] review the Outer Space Treaty, with the aim of strengthening it and expanding its scope to prohibit all weapons in space;

the exploration and use of outer space for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and the recognition of outer space as a province of all mankind,

8. Recalls the provisions of Article IV of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, and calls on the EU and the Member States to explore the possibility of negotiating additional outer space agreements in order to ensure the peaceful exploration and use of space and to prevent any arms race in outer space;