19/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - Speaking during the closure of the first GMES forum on Wednesday 17 September, French Secretary of State for Transport Dominique Bussereau said France wanted to “give its support to the European Commission” when setting up the European observation programme using Kopernikus satellite (see EUROPE 9741). “The control, knowledge and sharing of environmental information are considerable challenges for the European Union”, he said, recalling his country's commitment to sustainable development. The aim of the GMES (for the global monitoring of environment and security), the programme initiated by the EU in 2000, is to give Europe an autonomous surveillance capability for the environment (climate change, oceanography, atmosphere) and security (including emergencies) thanks to data collection carried out not only “in situ” but also from space. (A.By./transl.jl)