High-level representative of the European Parliament on visit to ESRIN
The Director of the European Parliament Office in Rome, Gian Paolo Meneghini, visited ESRIN on Friday, 20 January 2017. During his tour, he was introduced to the role of ESRIN within ESA by Josef Aschbacher, Director of Earth Observation and Head of ESRIN, receiving an overview of the breadth of ESA’s Earth Observation and Vega Programmes.
He then visited the CREOP (Control Room for Earth Observation Payloads) and the Virtual Reality Theatre for a 3D-presentation of ESA’s EO satellite missions.
Mr. Meneghini presented the activities of his own respective office, its approach towards resonating with the youth of today, current initiatives with local schools and journalists, and upcoming plans for the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaty.
He mentioned that the election of the new President of the European Parliament, Mr. Antonio Tajani, will also provide new opportunities for cooperation with ESA, highlighting the potential support that Space activities can provide to the EU’s sectorial policies, in particular with regards to Environment, Climate Change, Migration, and Disaster management.
Finally, challenges of Big Data, such as security and innovative information models using remote sensing data were also discussed, as were the recent successes and future evolution of the Copernicus programme and the plans for the next MFF.