The European Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, and the new Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher, sent a letter to the Member States on Wednesday 17 March, in the margins of the 296th ESA Council meeting, in which they reaffirmed their willingness to work together in the social field.
The letter, as seen by EUROPE, recalls the two major events that have recently marked European space policy: the adoption (currently being finalised) of the regulation for the EU space programme (see EUROPE 12624/21) and the success of the ESA ministerial council in Seville in 2019 (see EUROPE 12379/2). The two leaders therefore insist on acting “collectively” in the face of the transformation that the sector is undergoing.
“Only by collectively joining our forces—EU, ESA, and Member States—will we be able to develop an ambitious Space Agenda for Europe. The EU and ESA must and will work hand in hand to make sure we are responding to the challenges ahead of us”, the letter reads.
Messrs Breton and Aschbacher added that they wanted to strengthen their cooperation in the context of the Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA), “including EUSPA” (the future EU Space Programme Agency). This reference is not trivial, as it is a source of discord between the two entities (see EUROPE 12606/6).
The letter thereby seeks to turn the page on the Wörner era, the previous Director General of the ESA (see EUROPE 12656/6), we are told, and seems to show that the two institutions have come to terms with the past in order to make a fresh start.
During his video presentation to the ESA Council, Mr Breton said that the FFPA was being finalised. And he emphasised once again his project for a constellation in the field of connectivity (see EUROPE 12634/9), his project for a European launch vehicle alliance, and a European approach to space traffic management. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)