The Member States of the European Union and those of the European Space Agency (ESA) will meet again on Friday 20 November for a tense meeting resting on the disagreement over the Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA) between the two partners.
The choreography will be as follows: the day will start with the meeting of EU Ministers in the Competitiveness Council and then follow the ministerial meeting of the European Space Agency (ESA). Finally, a joint meeting between ESA and the EU will take place in the early afternoon.
During these exchanges, Ministers will be invited to give their views on the role of the European space industry on international markets. Above all, they will address issues of key importance for the future of space policy, starting with the thorny question of space traffic management, space financing, as well as the protection of intellectual property rights and cybersecurity.
As such, Ministers will be invited to give their views on the role of Europe (i.e. ESA, as well as the Union) in the multilateral negotiation process in the field of space policy. The idea still remains the one that has permeated the many debates in the space field: to build a competitive space economy while promoting European autonomy.
However, there is still the question of governance. The European Commission and the European Space Agency would still find it difficult to seal an agreement on the next FFPA Framework. The point that would trouble the discussions would be the role of the future EU Space Agency (current GSA) as contracting authority for Galileo and EGNOS.
The ESA considers that this is its role. Several Member States support this position, including Estonia, Belgium, Romania, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Germany. The situation is at a standstill for the time being.
To consult the EU Council conclusions (ESA’s will be identical): https://bit.ly/38AUizr (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)