Brussels, 26/04/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday evening, in Brussels, President Romano Prodi met Italian astronaut Umberto Guidoni, who has just returned to the international space station. He above all asked him whether it is possible to observe the consequences of atmospheric pollution from space. Mr Prodi was accompanied by the Director of the European Space Agency (ESA), Antonio Rodota, who had taken part that same morning, with Commissioner Philippe Busquin, in a meeting of the new joint EU-ESA task force on space.
During a press conference, Mr Busquin and Mr Rodota reaffirmed the need for ESA, which is the operational arm, and the EU, which has a more political role, to better coordinate their activities. "Together, we have truly opened a new chapter in the history of European space activities", said Mr Rodota, who explained that the space strategy has not been defined once and for all but that it will be continually updated.
EUROPE has reason to believe that four working groups have been set in place. They cover: scientific knowledge (exobiology and other scientific research work beyond the atmosphere; space missions); 2) applications (Galileo, GMES, telecommunications); 3) the strengthening of the foundation for space activities; and 4) horizontal issues. The last group must examine the mechanisms to be set in place and reflect on a framework agreement that will, in term, allow ESA to be transformed into an EU agency. A new meeting will be held in Paris on 2 May. It will be mainly devoted to the GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) system. It will also prepare, in the prospect of the EU Council of Ministers and of the ESA that are to meet in June, a joint working document that will propose the approach to be taken for the gradual implementation of this system that could begin partial operation in 2004 to reach its cruise speed around 2012. To reach a fully operation surveillance system from the ground that meets the environmental, meteorological and security needs, Europe will need to avail itself of new means but above all to set up a network of those it already has, where necessary by ensuring they are compatible or by developing their performance. This work will take about ten years. Financing by way of EUR 700 million over five years could be envisaged initially. Some EUR 500 million could come from the ESA "Spacewatch" programme and the leftover would come from the 6th EU Framework Programme for Research.