Ministers in charge of space activities within ESA and European Union Member States met in Brussels on 26 September 2008 for the fifth Space Council.

Left to right: Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General, Maria Van Der Hoeven, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs and current Chair of the ESA Council at Ministerial Level, Valérie Pécresse, French Minister of Higher Education and Research on behalf of the EU Competitiveness Council and Günter Verheugen, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry.