The Executive Director of the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), Rodrigo da Costa, confirmed that the agency has the expertise to contribute to the future European constellation programme for a secure connectivity, during an exchange with MEPs from the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN), on Wednesday 2 February.
Responding to Massimiliano Salini (EPP, Italy), former rapporteur on the space programme regulation (see EUROPE 12066/23), EUSPA’s Executive Director said the agency was, in any case, ready.
“Whatever is decided, we will naturally implement it. What I would like to stress (...) is that our key areas of expertise in operations, safety, market uptake are there to be used for the benefit of the Union in all relevant programmes. And if the Parliament, the EU Council and the Commission consider that connectivity is a relevant programme, we will of course be ready to do so”, he said in conclusion.
The issue of governance between the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the EU Agency for the Space Programme was a source of tension during the negotiations on the Space Programme (see EUROPE 12203/11), and later in the context of the negotiations between the European Commission and ESA on the Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA) (see EUROPE 12606/6).
The use of data
During his speech, the Executive Director stressed the need to strengthen the use of spatial data. He said that spatial data could make a huge contribution to rationalising journeys in different modes of transport and reducing their environmental footprint. For the time being, adoption is gradual. Twenty-five million cars use the Galileo programme to navigate. The EGNOS signal has been adopted by 426 airports and heliports.
In the railway field, he stressed the importance of spatial data for the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). He added that China and the United States were fully committed to the use of space data in railway systems. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)