President Jacques Chirac, under fire from European Union officials for shielding French companies from foreign bidders, called on Thursday for greater European cooperation on space projects, Reuters reported. Speaking at Franco-Italian satellite maker Alcatel Alenia Space, a subsidiary of France's Alcatel and Italy's Finmeccanica, Chirac said European firms must stick together to keep Europe at the cutting edge of space technology. "Space must be at the heart of the European project," said Chirac, who proposed the creation of a Mediterranean centre for the prevention of risks using space technology. Europe should be able to use these systems to monitor global warming and pollution, predict floods and eventually for tracking large meteorites, he said. The European Commission issued a statement after his speech saying it was already putting together such plans. Chirac's calls for European space solidarity come as France faces criticism for its policy of economic patriotism, which aims to protect French firms from foreign takeovers, including from within Europe. France provoked Italian anger last week by brokering the merger of Gaz de France and Suez just days after Italy's Enel hinted at a takeover of Suez. EU officials, and those from Britain, Germany and Italy, say France's stance threatens Europe's internal market.
