Brussels, 26/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - The Council has put all its cards on the table regarding its relations with the European Space Agency (ESA). On Monday 26 May, ministers for competitiveness adopted conclusions advocating closer ties with the inter-governmental body, following the expiry of the framework agreement linking the two bodies, in 2016.
These conclusions respond to the three options put forward by the Commission at the start of the year to bring the EU and the ESA closer together. These were: maintaining the status quo; improved cooperation; and the creation of a European pillar, that is, ultimately creating a European Space Agency within the European institutional structure.
In its conclusions, the Council makes no decision between these last two scenarios but recommends examining whether improved EU-ESA relations should be achieved through amendment of the EU-ESA framework agreement (option two) or by an “EU pillar” (option three). In general terms, the Council favours pragmatic solutions and the use of flexible legal mechanisms as much as possible. Cooperation must be developed by following a step-by-step and dynamic approach. The Commission and Council both agree that a political consensus will be difficult to achieve in the short term.
The conclusions speak of the possibility of exploring the adoption of a common option during the joint Council of the Union and ESA Council meeting at ministerial level. This kind of meeting could take place at the end of the year. (MD)