27.5.2014 Official Journal of the European Union L 158/227 DECISIONS DECISION No 541/2014/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 16 April 2014 establishing a Framework for Space Surveillance and Tracking Support THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 189(2) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments, Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (}), After consulting the Committee of the Regions, Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (%), Whereas: (1)  Inits Communication of 4 April 2011 entitled ‘Towards a space strategy for the European Union that benefits its citizens’, the Commission underlined that the shared competence in the field of space conferred upon the Union by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) goes hand in hand with a reinforced partnership with the Member States. The Commission also emphasised that all new action must be based on existing resources and on the joint identification of where new resources are needed. (2)  In its Resolution of 26 September 2008 entitled ‘Taking forward the European Space Policy’ (), the Council recalled that space assets have become indispensable for our economy and that their security must be ensured. It underlined the ‘need for Europe [...] to develop a European capability for the monitoring and surveillance of its space infrastructure and space debris, initially based on existing national and European assets, taking benefit of relationships which may be established with other partner nations and their capabilities’. (3)  Inits Resolution of 25 November 2010 entitled ‘Global challenges: taking full benefit of European space systems’, the Council recognised the need for a future space situational awareness (SSA) capability as an activity at Euro- pean level to develop and exploit existing national and European civil and military assets, and invited the Commission and the Council to propose a governance scheme and data policy that will allow Member States to contribute with their relevant national capabilities in accordance with applicable security requirements and regu- lations. It further invited ‘all European institutional actors to explore appropriate measures’ which would build on defined civil and military user requirements, make use of relevant assets in accordance with applicable security requirements, and exploit the developments from the SSA preparatory programme of the European Space Agency (ESA). (4)  The Council conclusions of 31 May 2011 on the Communication of the Commission ‘Towards a space strategy for the European Union that benefits its citizens’ and the Council Resolution of 6 December 2011 entitled ‘Orien- tations concerning added value and benefits of space for the security of European citizens’ (*) reiterated the need for an effective SSA capability as an activity at European level, and called on the Union to make ‘the widest () OJC327,12.11.2013,p. 38. () Position of the European Parliament of 2 April 2014 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and decision of the Council of 14 April 2014. () O] C 268,23.10.2008, p. 1. () 0JC377,23.12.2011,p. 1.