About CM16
ESA’s Ministerial Council is being held in Lucerne, Switzerland, on 1 and 2 December 2016. Ministers in charge of space activities from the 22 ESA Member States will meet to decide on future space activities for Europe.
In the light of the current economic and political situation in Europe, this Ministerial Council meeting will be challenging for ESA, its Member States and the European space sector as a whole. Several factors should be also taken into account: firstly, global developments in space, where the present wind of change is to be welcomed, and, secondly, a changing European landscape, including our specific sphere of action.
This Ministerial Council meeting is an ideal opportunity to show the public in Europe that space is relevant to every citizen, that it contributes in a very concrete way to the growth of our economy, to overall competitiveness and to making our daily lives better.
Under the overarching goals of strengthening European identity, spirit and cohesion, the Ministerial Council 2016 has the following objectives:
- maximising the integration of space into European society and economy,
- fostering a globally competitive European space sector, and
- ensuring European autonomy in accessing and using space in a safe and secure environment – standing for a ‘United Space in Europe’.
In the light of all this, the essence of what this Ministerial Council meeting aims to achieve is this:
Innovate, inform, interact and inspire: Space 4.0i