Established in 1999 as a permanent forum for interparliamentary co-operation in space between the European national parliaments interest in space policy, it aims at facilitating the exchange of information on space activities and at promoting mutual understanding of national policies through the provision of a forum for analysing the major issues at stake in the European space sector.
XV. EISC Conference – Belgium 2013
Senator Dominique Tilmans,
Chairperson of EISC 2013
Established in 1999, the European Inter-parliamentary Space Conference (EISC) fosters cooperation between national parliaments in Europe and an on-going dialogue on space policy issues. It also supports the efforts of national governments and the European Institutions with a view to develop a common European Space Policy.
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Since January 1st 2013, the Belgian Senate has taken over the Presidency of the 15th EISC. Since its establishment in 1999 the Belgian Senate has chaired the EISC two times, i.e. in 2001 and in 2006. I already want to thank the previous successful Polish Presidency from 2012 and the promising upcoming French Presidency of 2014 for their consultation and support this year. |
In 2013 the Belgian Senate will further turn the EISC into a lasting success, thanks to ambitious objectives dedicated to students and their interest for space education, which will be the transversal theme during the whole Belgian Presidency.
The Parliamentary Space Group which I have the honour to chair takes care of the organization of the Belgian Presidency, which this year focuses on two major themes:
| 1) | What does the future hold for small, micro, nano and cubeSat missions? This discussion will take place during the workshop on March 25that ESA Redu. This is the only ESA centre in Belgium that provides outstanding services for security programs, telecommunications, in-orbit control demonstrations and space surveillance.
Belgium, through its Federal Science Policy, together with other countries, is actively supporting the “Small Mission Initiative” at ESA. Indeed, we strongly believe in the capabilities and complementarities of smaller satellites with respect to their “classic” larger equivalents. |
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| 2) | A better matching of space education on the challenging needs of the space industry. Considering the increasing shortage of qualified young aerospace scientists, engineers and technicians, the Belgian Presidency would like to share, along with its European partners, the success stories and best practices that have been noted in this field. The Plenary session, which will take place on October 14th and 15thin the Belgian Senate, in Brussels, will provide the opportunity to discuss this theme further and particularly hear from young professionals and students about their experiences on this topic.
As you know a constant effort is required to train and recruit new talent for the space sector. It is crucial that we inspire young people to take up careers in a sector that spans such a broad range of skills. |
The Belgian Senate and its Space Working Group will take a great pleasure in inviting a delegation from your parliament. I have every confidence that these inter-parliamentary meetings in Belgium will be the ideal opportunity to exchange views in order to reinforce our European Space Policy.
I look forward to welcoming you in March and in October 2013 in my country and remain,
Most sincerely yours,
Dominique TILMANS
Chair
Let us face together new challenges and let us expand space borders!
