Commission Report on appropriate relations with ESA

A Commission report published on 6th February emphasises the importance of the relations with ESA for the implementation of the EU flagship space programmes, Galileo and Copernicus. The report also acknowledges ESA’s key role in them as the agency responsible for research and technological development and the evolution of the space infrastructures. The EU delegates a large share of its space budgets to ESA and this trend will increase in the current financial period.

The EU will spend over € 12 bn on space activities in 2014-2020. The Commission therefore is looking to establish such working arrangements with ESA which should guarantee that activities entrusted to ESA deliver the expected results and are conducted in the most efficient, effective and accountable manner, strictly following EU rules and procedures, in an “EU-like” environment.

The report presents a preliminary analysis of several scenarios for the evolution of these relations, which will be the subject of a ministerial discussion in the Competitiveness Council on 21st February.

You can download the report here.