SPACE COUNCIL AGREES ON GUIDELINES FOR A EUROPEAN SPACE POLICY.

• Position: Brief Article

The second Space Council meeting, held on June 7 in Luxembourg, between the European Union Council and the European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed the Galileo satellite navigation programme and global monitoring for the environment and security (GMES) as its two priorities. Ministers approved the guidelines proposed in the joint European Commission/ESA communication of May 23. The next Space Council session, in November 2005, will aim to define a European space policy and a European space programme for the years up to 2013. These will be drawn up by the joint secretariat in close cooperation with the member states, notably through the high-level group on space policy, and in consultation with private and public sector stakeholders. Before November, experts will notably need to cost the European space programme and identify funding sources.

The acting President of the Competitiveness Council, Luxembourg's Minister for Culture, Higher Education and Research, Francois Biltgen, insisted that the space activities under consideration do not have any defence...