Brussels, 17/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 15 September, European Industry Commissioner Antonio Tajani met his counterpart from the African Union (AU) Commission in charge of human resources and technology, Jean-Pierre Enzin, on the sidelines of the high-level political meeting on space and Africa. According to a European Commission press release, the meeting allowed stock to be taken of progress made in the setting up of initiatives foreseen within the framework of the EU/African Union strategic partnership in the field of technology, namely: - the establishment of an African Space Agency (on 7 August, the AU Commission was entrusted with the task of carrying out a feasibility study on the creation of such an agency and, in a joint statement adopted after the meeting, the European Commission and the European Space Agency confirmed that they were available to contribute to the study); - the creation of a Space Science Institute of the pan-African University (the European Commission has pledged to look at the possibilities of granting financial support); - and, launched in 2007 by the EU/AU summit in Lisbon, the GMES & Africa initiative that would allow applications of this European earth observation by satellite programme to be developed on the African continent. (EUROPE 9741). The action plan programme is to be approved in spring 2011 at the latest. Speaking at the meeting, Antonio Tajani nonetheless said he hoped the work on implementation of GMES applications would be speeded up and that the next EU/AU summit, in November 2010, would adopt the action plan. Deployment of the programme would above all give African users access to data on climate change, food safety and security and water resources management. The meeting held on Wednesday was a follow-up to the college-to-college meeting on 8 June 2010 between the European Commission and the African Union Commission. (A.By./transl.jl)