Ministerial Council resolutions-pre-jan14-old
ESA’s Council of Ministers
The Council is ESA's governing body and provides the basic policy guidelines within which ESA develops the European space programme. Each Member State is represented on the Council and has one vote. ESA is headed by a Director General who is elected by the Council every four years.
The ESA Council meets as and when required and at least twice a year at delegate level and regularly at ministerial level. From time to time, joint and concomitant meetings of the ESA Council and the European Union Council are organised, and are referred to as “Space Council”.
ESA Ministerial Council 2008
The latest ESA Ministerial Council took place in November 2008, where ministers in charge of space activities in ESA's 18 Member States and Canada meet in The Hague, The Netherlands. They agreed to undertake new initiatives in several fields and endorsing the next phases of a set of ongoing programmes.
The decisions was a further step towards giving Europe the means to respond to global challenges. In keeping with the European Space Policy, designed in cooperation with the European Commission, the measures will further strengthen Europe’s role in the development and exploitation of space applications serving public policy objectives and the needs of European citizens and enterprises.
These decisions have particular relevance at the present time, showing as they do Europe’s determination to invest in space as a key sector providing for innovation, economic growth, strategic independence and the preparation of the future. Resolutions were adapted recognising that space is a strategic asset and that it is of fundamental importance for the independence, security and prosperity of Europe,
For more on ESA Ministerial Council 2008, see ESA Press Release 47-2008, and watch the Press Conference Video.
The Ministerial Council 2008 were concluded by adopting the “Resolution on the Role of Space Delivering Europe’s Global Objectives (26 November 2008)”.
Space Council 2010
The latest, the Seventh Space Council, took place in November 2010 leading to the adoption of a resolution on “Global challenges: taking full benefit of European space systems”.
