Europe's Space Policy becomes a reality today (Forwarded)

European Space Agency
Press Release No. 21-2007
Paris, France 22 May 2007

Europe's Space Policy becomes a reality today

A stronger Europe in space, better equipped and better coordinated to face
the future needs of its citizens. A wider strategic scope to address new
challenges, including the areas of security and defence space programmes,
and space as an added dimension to the EU's external relations: all this in
a novel policy designed to fit European interests and values.

Ministers in charge of space activities in ESA's Member States, and those
tasked with internal market, industry and research within the European
Union's Competitiveness Council, met in Brussels today to adopt a Resolution
on the European Space Policy.

Jointly drafted by the European Commission and ESA's Director General, the
European Space Policy outlines the strategic guidelines for Europe's future
activities in space. Through this document, the European Union, ESA and
their Member States commit themselves to increasing coordination of their
activities and programmes and to organising their respective roles relating
to space.

The European Space Policy comes with the preliminary elements of a European
Space Programme, which is a planning and strategic tool comprising all of
Europe's major space activities. The Programme supports the optimisation of
public resources and skills when deciding and implementing the Space Policy.

The European Space Policy aims at fostering better coordination of space
activities between the EU, ESA and their respective Member States, to
maximise value for money and avoid unsustainable duplication, thus meeting
shared European needs. Increased synergy between civil and defence space
programmes and technologies is also addressed by the ESP.

The new policy calls for ensuring sustainable funding for space
applications, in particular the flagship initiative Global Monitoring for
Environment and Security (GMES). It also recognises that space is a high
value-adding sector, a driver for growth, innovation and employment and a
valuable opportunity provider for European industry.

Moreover, the European Space Policy supports the EU's external relations,
insofar as the EU, ESA and their Member States will put in place a
coordination mechanism to develop a joint strategy for international
relations regarding space activities.

Today's Space Council meeting (*) was jointly chaired by Germany's
Parliamentary State Secretary and Federal Government Coordinator for
Aerospace Policy, Peter Hintze, on behalf of the Competitiveness Council,
and Maria Van Der Hoeven, the Netherlands' Minister of Economic Affairs and
current Chair of the ESA Council at Ministerial level. Gter Verheugen, Vice
President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Enterprise and
Industry, and Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General, also took part.

Minister Van Der Hoeven commented: "The adoption of the European Space
Policy is a major step forward for space policy in Europe and marks the
progress achieved since the first Space Council held during the Dutch EU
Presidency in 2004. The ESP provides a strong incentive for better
coordination and cooperation in Europe and thus for more value for our
public Euros, and will contribute to strengthening the global role of Europe
in the space domain through a joint international cooperation strategy."

Commission Vice-President Gter Verheugen said: "Without the European Space
Policy, Europe could become irrelevant. With this Resolution on the European
Space Policy, we intend to live up to Europe's global leadership aspirations
in important industrial and research areas, which will provide growth and
jobs for the future. Moreover, space has always been a source of inspiration
which helps people to think outside and beyond the limits and to innovate.
Today's proposal marks a milestone, to ensure that Europe does not miss out
on the important opportunities that space technology offers."

For ESA's Director General Jacques Dordain: "Today, the EU, ESA and their
Member states have teamed up to stretch even further the boundaries of space
to new countries, to new fields of applications and to new ambitions. Such
ambitions are firmly rooted in forty years of success in space, in
particular thanks to the continuous investment by ESA Member States, and
will be based on solid cooperation between the European Community and ESA.
The consensus of 29 Countries of Europe supporting this European Space
Policy is the strongest message that Europe could send to its citizens and
its international partners."

The European Community and ESA have for a long time shared a common aim:
strengthen Europe and benefit its citizens. The two organisations are linked
by a strong and ever-growing relationship, and a Framework Agreement
establishing the legal basis for their cooperation came into force in May
2004 . That Agreement provides a solid basis for the mutually fruitful
relationship of the two organisations.

Thanks to the European Space Policy, Europe can now fully use space in
support of its global policies and thus strengthen its position as a truly
global actor.

(*) The Space Council is the joint and concomitant meeting of the EU Council
and of the ESA Council at ministerial level, as defined in the Framework
Agreement between the European Community and ESA which entered into force in
May 2004. It met for the first time in November 2004 and twice in 2005.

For further information:

Franco Bonacina
Spokesman for the ESA Director General
and
Head of the Media Relations Office
ESA Communication Department
+ 33 (0)1 53 69 72 99
Franco.Bonacina1 @ esa.int
Queries: media @ esa.int

[NOTE: Images and weblinks supporting this release are available at
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM4UU8RR1F_index_1.html ]