Pedro Duque recalled that Europe is faced with a great opportunity to consolidate its leading industrial and scientific position in outer space.
The plenary session of the European Space Conference was attended by the European Union, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Member States, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), representatives from the space industry and research centres, among others.
The Minister for Science and Innovation called for a joint effort and understanding to strengthen the main operational programmes in Europe (Galileo, Copernicus…) and to avoid duplication in public efforts to obtain the greatest return from government investment. The minister highlighted Spain's work during its presidency of the ESA, which led to agreements for the approval of the largest investment in the history of the agency - some 14 billion euros - and to the reactivation of the EU-ESA Space Council, which had not been held in the previous eight years.
European space policy is a key tool for improving the lives of citizens, recalled the minister, and poses major challenges to the public and private sector.
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