The meeting covered issues related to the legal challenges and considerations in the field of international space law in the context of the dynamic development of space technologies, allowing private entities to operate in outer space, long-term plans to exploit natural resources of the outer space (“space mining”), and the construction of bases on the Moon. The committee also made an attempt to assess the body of the international space law by referring to the relevant work of the UN: at the forum of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), the COPUOS Legal Subcommittee, and the Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities.

The members of the committee exchanged views and presented their proposals on regulating activities related to the extraction of space resources and the protection of lunar heritage. The discussions were preceded by a presentation containing an overview of selected information related to the Moon in the context of legal regulations in the area of space mining and the protection of lunar heritage.

The committee analysed the goals of the Artemis Accords, including in the light of the provisions of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, done in London, Moscow, and Washington on 27 January 1967, Journal of Laws of 1968, no. 14, item 82, and the Declaration of Legal Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Uses of Outer Space, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 13 December 1963.

In connection with Poland’s initiative of developing a legal instrument to protect lunar heritage, which was presented in November 2024 at the forum of the Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultations (ATLAC) working under the auspices of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), an attempt was made to fill a legislative gap in space law in the area of the protection of outer space heritage. The discussions also covered possible legal solutions in other fields of international law which could serve as a starting point while devising a potential legal model regulating mining activities on the Moon and the protection of lunar heritage.

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Established in 1999, the Advisory Legal Committee of the Minister of Foreign Affairs currently brings together 15 distinguished representatives of legal academia and top practicing lawyers. It provides opinions on key issues in the field of international, EU, and domestic law.