First ever 'Space Council' paves the way for a European space programme   25 November 2004: First ESA/EU Space Council (from left to right: ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain and EU Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry Mr Günter Verheugen). To mark the first ESA/EU Space Council, ESA presented the European Union with this flag, which was flown aboard the ISS during the Delta Soyuz mission in April 2004.   The European Union building, Brussels, November 2004.   Participants of the first "Space Council". This is a major political milestone for Europe in Space, offering ministers representing the 27 European Union (EU) and/or European Space Agency (ESA) Member States the first opportunity to jointly discuss the development of a coherent overall European space programme.   Meeting room before the 2004 "Space Council" meeting.   From right to left : Chairman of the ESA Council Per Tegnér, ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain, Ministerialrat Bundesministerialium für Bildung und Forschung Karl-Friedrich Nagel, German Minister for Education and Research Edelgard Bulmahn (current chair of the ESA council at ministerial level), Dutch Minister for Economic Affairs Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst (current chair of the EU Competitiveness Council) and Hans De Groene Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. Release date: 31 March 2011