In the recently released policy vision for Europe in space “ESPI.2040: Space for Prosperity, Peace and Future Generations”, ESPI put forward the ambition of further strengthening its engagement with its different national and European members and stakeholders.
Such engagement is designed to reinforce ESPI’s mission to provide an active forum for the analysis and discussion of European needs, capabilities and long-term prospects in space activities, and to elaborate proposals and recommendations to European decision-makers and institutions.
From March 2024, ESPI is taking first steps in developing a presence in Brussels, with the support of the Belgian Science Policy Office, a member of ESPI. ESPI’s initial presence is established during the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
As part of this collaboration framework, Sara Dalledonne, ESPI Research Fellow and Lead on Regulatory Affairs will be hosted at BELSPO premises.
During 2022/23, we have more than doubled ESPI’s capabilities at our home base in Vienna, with Austria as our host country and with the support of our co-founders FFG and ESA. The initiative today in Brussels is another step forward and marks a significant further evolution of ESPI in Europe and its 20-year history. It responds to the evolving dynamics of the European space ecosystem. It will facilitate the support to our members in Brussels, i.e. BELSPO and the European Commission, and help our engagement with further EU and other stakeholders. Developing a stronger footprint in Brussels will enable ESPI to increase its impact at the heart of EU-level decision-making, during a critical period of complex geo-political developments, as the contours of the future EU Space Programme will be defined.
– Hermann Ludwig Moeller, Director of ESPI
Brussels has become a central hub of space-related decision-making in Europe, combining national, European and transatlantic contexts. This is magnified today by Belgium’s presidency in the Council of the EU, further positioning Belgium in the epicentre of important policy debate on the future of space in Europe. As a long-term member of ESPI, BELSPO is thrilled to facilitate ESPI’s European ambition of strengthening its value for Brussels-based stakeholders.
– Frank Monteny, Director General Research and Space at BELSPO
