02/12/2016 (Agence Europe) – At the triennial meeting of the European Space Agency (ESA) in Lucerne, Switzerland, on 1 and 2 December, European ministers with responsibility for space matters allocated €10.3 billion for the agency’s activities. This is an allocation that falls slightly short of the €11 billion sought by the ESA to reach the goals of the “United Space in Europe in the era of Space 4.0”. The envelope is not for a single financial cycle but for a number of programmes of varying durations. The Earth observation programme was allocated €1.379 billion until 2025, the launchers programme received a little over €1.6 billion until 2023, while the navigation programme will receive €69 million until 2021. Ministers also decided that the next meeting would take place in Spain at the end of 2019. EUROPE will return in greater detail next week to the results of the meeting. (PH)