The European Space Solutions Conference 2013 was held in Munich 5 – 7 November. The conference brought together representatives of the public and private sectors, along with users and developers of space-based solutions. The theme was how space technology makes a real difference in our daily lives, with a particular focus on challenges and opportunities for European satellite technologies.

The European Commission has welcomed today's approval by the European Parliament of the financing and governance of two European satellite navigation programmes: Galileo and EGNOS, for the period 2014-2020.

On the evening of 6 November, the European Space Expo hosted the official reception for the European Space Solutions conference in Munich. The event showcased a range of space-based solutions for enabling smarter cities that can bring benefits to citizens living in an increasingly urbanised world. The highlighted projects featured both Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and Earth Observation technologies.

A high-level debate on October 15 at the European Parliament in Brussels saw politicians giving the European GNSS Agency (GSA) a very positive review. The event marked the first anniversary of GSA’s move to its new headquarters in Prague and looked forward to a new operational phase as Galileo services come online to join EGNOS during 2014.

You’ve seen how EGNOS is assisting safety and efficiency in road and aviation. But what about the maritime sector? A new video has just been produced showing what EGNOS is doing now for craft of all sizes, from ocean-going container ships to leisure boats on the river, and what Galileo promises for the future afloat.

On the 13th of November 2013, the European GNSS Agency's Executive Director, Mr. Carlo des Dorides, and GS1 Europe’s chairman Mr. Nicolas Florin signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Prague, Czech Republic.

The latest stop for the European Space Expo was Munich. The Bavarian region’s administrative centre is often described as a capital of the European aerospace industry. And Munich’s citizens and students certainly showed great enthusiasm for discovering EU space technology with thousands of visitors passing through the doors of the Expo last week (5-10 November 2013). The free exhibition coincided with a major meeting on space technology and business: the European Space Solutions conference.

The Galileo 2.0 debate at the European Parliament in Brussels on October 15 outlined the huge opportunity that the Galileo initiative can bring to European industry. Described as a veritable “gold mine” by one speaker, European companies are getting ready to deliver the innovative products and services that Galileo and EGNOS can enable. And the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is ready to help: from funding application research to support in the marketplace.