However the European Commission - which jointly runs the project along with the European Space Agency - wants to create a separate "GMES Fund", which would receive financial contributions from all member states based on their Gross National Income.

BBC: Ex-cosmonaut warns over space funding

The Commission says this would ease funding pressures on other areas of the EU's budget, however Mr Remek said the amount of money required for GMES "is quite low compared to the amount we are prepared to spend on saving the banks".

BBC: Ex-cosmonaut warns over space funding

His criticism was echoed by British Conservative MEP Jacqui Foster who warned that removing GMES from the long-term EU budget could mean that the benefits of the GMES project, such as early warning of climatic disasters, would not be spread equally, if different countries paid in different amounts to the GMES fund.

BBC: Ex-cosmonaut warns over space funding