Public consultation on a Space Strategy for Europe

Unpublished

The objective of this public consultation is to obtain stakeholder views on the policy priorities, challenges and opportunities that could shape a future Space Strategy for Europe.

In the period 2014-2020, the European Union will invest over €12 billion in space programmes (including Galileo/EGNOS in satellite navigation, Copernicus in Earth Observation and space research in the framework of Horizon 2020). These investments are expected to create substantial market opportunities for European industry and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through the development of value-added downstream services and applications. Such services require continuous and sustained access to space-borne data and signals, as well as their integration with other kinds of data, such as ground-based or socioeconomic data. Examples range from safer sailing applications for ships, designed to optimise routes by combining weather and ocean data, to applications for monitoring vital infrastructure like power grids and transport networks, applications in precision farming, monitoring of oil spills at sea, and many others. The European Commission is committed to maximising the societal and economic benefits of the EU’s investments in space.

In the meantime, the space industry is experiencing dynamic changes due to growing global competition, technological breakthroughs, and innovations spurring growing private sector interest in space. Space is increasingly attracting new companies and private entrepreneurs (so-called ‘NewSpace’), which challenge the established views and business models of the traditional space industry. These developments present both challenges and opportunities for European industry. It is important for Europe to stay at the forefront of these developments and seize these new opportunities.

Against this backdrop, the Commission has decided to present 'A Space Strategy for Europe' as one of its key strategic initiatives for 2016. The purpose of this strategy will be to set out the overall strategic vision for the EU's activities in space during the next decade (up to 2030), while ensuring proper coordination and complementarity with the activities pursued by EU countries individually or through the European Space Agency (ESA).

For the preparation of this strategy, the Commission has committed to put in place an inclusive and transparent consultation process. We would like to make sure that all relevant stakeholders (at European, national and regional levels) have the opportunity to express their views on the different elements of the space strategy, including the objectives, the main challenges and opportunities facing the EU space sector today, the trends and drivers of global competition in the sector, as well as the desirability of EU intervention. Specific attention is given to the market uptake by current and future users of the services and data generated by the flagship space programmes, Galileo/EGNOS and Copernicus, as well as the evolution of these programmes in the future. International partners are also invited to contribute to this consultation.

Who should respond?

This public consultation is addressed to all interested stakeholders in the public and private sectors, including but not limited to:

Public authorities;.
Industry, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs);.
Research organisations and academia;.
User communities;.
Experts;.
Interested citizens who would like to share their views on the future space strategy.

Your input and ideas are important to us!

How to submit your contribution

You are invited to fill in the online questionnaire (available in English, French and German) on this webpage. Please submit your response to this public consultation at the latest by 12 July 2016.

A dedicated survey for companies using (or interested in using) Copernicus data is being run in parallel and can be accessed here.

Reference documents and useful links

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