Celebrating Europe’s biggest achievements – including the EU Space Programme
EUSPA celebrates Europe Day – a chance to highlight European integration and values and how the EU Space Programme is helping build an even better EU for tomorrow.
Today, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) joins citizens across the EU in celebrating Europe.
Known as Europe Day, the 9th of May marks the signing of the Schuman Declaration, an historic agreement that laid the foundation for a united Europe and planted the seeds to what would eventually grow into the European Union.
As the Declaration states, “Europe will not be made all at once… it will be built through concrete achievements.” Europe Day is an opportunity to reflect on those many achievements – including the achievement that is the EU Space Programme.
Over the past 20 years, the EU has been committed to creating a space programme and infrastructure that is competitive, innovative and capable of delivering real benefits to citizens and businesses alike. The programme has made great leaps forward in recent years, delivering unique services in satellite navigation, Earth Observation and telecommunications, along with strengthening both the upstream and downstream sectors.
The essential link
Positioned as the link between space and user needs, EUSPA plays a central role in the EU Space Programme’s success. “By engaging with the entire EU space community, EUSPA drives innovation-based growth in the European economy and contributes to the safety of EU citizens and the security of the Union and its Member States, while at the same time reinforcing the EU’s strategic autonomy,” says EUSPA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa.
As a result of this work, space technology, data and services not only support the interest of the EU, they’re also indispensable to the daily lives of Europeans. Over 3 billion people are currently using Galileo, the world’s most precise positioning system, while many governments, national agencies, institutions, researchers and businesses are all leveraging the data and information coming from Copernicus, the world’s best Earth Observation system.
Even with the many benefits that the EU Space Programme is already delivering, we’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible. “Businesses and society will increasingly look to space for solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges,” adds da Costa. “EUSPA is preparing for this space-based future today.”
Join us in Prague
What our space-based future may look like will be on full display on 9 May during Prague’s annual Europe Day celebration. Held on the city’s Střelecký Island starting at 13:00 CET, the event is a showcase of EU integration and values.
EUSPA will be there to show how you already benefit from space, along with highlighting how Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus are building a better future for all Europeans.
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