The 5th conference on European Union space policy will take place at the European Commission’s Charlemagne Building, in Brussels, Belgium on January 29 and January 30, 2013.
It is aimed at decisionmakers in EU governance and industry and members of the public as well.
The theme is "Building Up a Global Tool for Global Challenges." The conference is sponsored by the presidents of the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament.
The 5th conference on European Union space policy will take place at the European Commission’s Charlemagne Building, in Brussels, Belgium on January 29 and January 30, 2013.
It is aimed at decisionmakers in EU governance and industry and members of the public as well.
The theme is "Building Up a Global Tool for Global Challenges." The conference is sponsored by the presidents of the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament.
The top issues under discussion are govenance of Europe’s three major space programs — EGNOS, Galileo, and GMES, the implications of dual civilian/military use of space systems, and securing adequate funding to preserve Europe’s space independence.
The keynote speaker on January 29 will be Antonio Tajani, vice-president of the European Commission in charge of industry and entrepreneurship.
Other morning speakers include the chair of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the head of United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA); and senior officials of the European Commission; Parliament; Eurospace, the EU space industry association and ESOA, the satellite operators’ association.
The organizers emphasize the critical decisions the EU and the European Space Agency must make in order to support EGNOS, Galileo and the Earth monitoring program, GMES. Stable funding is strategically important to secure Europe’s independence in space, particularly in the world of "global competition we inhabit,"they say.
One of the sessions will offer the chance to identify all of the implications of Europe’s dual civilian/military use of space systems, from market-opening to data protection, and a European system for space surveillance and security.
Two sessions of this conference will cover industrial policy and research and development policy.
In the industrial policy session, European Commissioners will be asked to discuss their upcoming policy statement on GNSS with ESA and other governmental organization, industry and user groups.
The research and development session will address the 1.4 billion funding package proposed for the space sector.
The conference is free and open to the public, but everyone must register online by January 22, 2013. Those who do not register by that date should contact the conference organizers by email at the address below.
