“Investing in space is not a luxury for the European Union, but a strategic necessity,” Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, said during his address at the 17th European Space Conference taking place in Brussels. This is an important platform for dialogue between politicians, researchers and industry executives on the prospects of the European space ecosystem. Papastergiou was accompanied by the Secretary-General of Telecommunications and Posts, Konstantinos Karantzalos.
On the sidelines of the conference, the Minister of Digital Governance met with the Commissioner for Defence and Space of the European Commission, Andrius Kubilius. During their meeting, they discussed the GOVSATCOM secure satellite telecommunications programme, which will have one of its two headquarters in Greece, the National Microsatellite Program.
“Given the intense geopolitical conditions in our neighborhood, the ongoing conflicts as well as the new administration of the United States of America, Europe must react quickly and effectively. We are discussing how to achieve strategic autonomy and remain competitive. We have already discussed a lot, we must act,” emphasised Papastergiou, who cited the example of the USA, where over 50% of investments in space come from defence, while in Europe this percentage is around 15%.
The Minister for Digital Governance said that the collective achievements in space, within the EU and the European Space Agency (ESA), can serve as a guide. “We are able to design and build everything. We have built and delivered world-class programmes such as ‘Galileo’, the most accurate satellite navigation system in the world, and ‘Copernicus’, which monitors the planet’s climate and helps manage natural disasters with high precision.”
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
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