On Tuesday 6 June, Frederic Nordlund, Head of External and European Relations at the European Space Agency (ESA), called for greater public investment in space.
“In our internal discourse, we tend to focus on relations with the private sector but we should not lose sight of the fact that public funding is instrumental for us”, he stressed at a conference organised by Friends of Europe.
In his view, public investment in third countries such as India, South Korea, the United States and China is “historically high”.
Mr Nordlund expressed that it would be essential, after the European elections, to maintain the same level of investment, because “these choices put Europe at the forefront in critical areas”.
Frank Monteny, Director General for Research and Space at the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO), felt that it was important to optimise investments and avoid duplication. “The EU should continue to increase investment in space in order to keep pace with China and the United States in order to be a strong partner that can defend its values”, he added.
Both stressed the importance of research, development and science. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)