Brussels, 20/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - On 21 January, the European Commission is to adopt its Green Paper on European Space Policy. "This very broad discussion paper on all aspects of space policy raises the question of whether a manned flight policy needs supporting and what would Europe's place be in such a policy", said the Commissioner responsible for Research Policy Philippe Busquin at the end of an informal meeting with the Belgian astronaut Frank de Winne. "I am very sensitive to space policy being part of the future European". Valery Giscard d'Estaing and other members of the Convention are in favour of space policy being fleshed out in the article of the current treaty relating to scientific policy. The question has now been raised politically: do we have real ambitions in that field?", continued Busquin.
The Green Paper, the content of which has been discussed by the European Space Agency (ESA) also raises the issue of how to transpose research performed in space back on earth, examines the economic fallout, especially for industry, as well as the complementary nature between "space" and "research", for example in the field of radio-protection, said Busquin. According to him, "Europeans must again find the taste for research and the discovery of new frontiers, which is space". "After this Green Paper, a debate will follow on whether or not to pursue with manned flights and on Europe's place in this policy. Space policy will, moreover, be on the agenda of the Research Council of 12 and 13 March", the Commissioner announced, concluding: "It would be good to have a European team not as dependent on the United States and Russia". For Frank de Winne, "this Green paper will enable the EU to launch itself in a space strategy". Stressing that world co-operation that existed between the United States, Japan and Russia, in programmes such as moon exploration and voyages to Mars, the Belgian astronaut stressed that "if, in these future programmes, Europe wants to be a partner capable of co-operating and proposing new projects, to incite the young to dream of the exploit, it needs its own capabilities in space: Europe has the technology to do so, but there also needs to be the political will".