Note:Your browser doesn't correctly display this page because of a bad stylesheets interpretation. This is probably due to an old browser version.

 
[Luxembourg 2005 Presidency of the Council of the European Union]
 Version française        
 

You are here : Home > News > Press Releases > February 2005 > Octavie Modert: Spatial cooperation reduces the "digital fracture"
Print this page Send this page

Press Release
Octavie Modert: Spatial cooperation reduces the "digital fracture"

Date of release : 18-02-2005

Policy area : Competitiveness (Internal market, Industry and Research) Competitiveness (Internal market, Industry and Research)


On behalf of the Luxembourg Presidency of the "Competitivity and Research" Council and the "Space" Council, Octavie Modert, Secretary of State for Culture, Higher Education and Research, took part in an international conference on space cooperation held in Brussels on 17 February 2005. She delivered a speech at the opening ceremony before an audience of ministers and delegates from 50 States from all continents and around 20 international organisations. 

Organised as part of the Earth and Space Week, the conference will close on 18 February 2005. This joint initiative of the European Commission and the European Space Agency aims to make political decision-makers and citizens of the European Union aware of vital space aspects and Earth observation.

During her speech, the Secretary of State underlined the importance the Luxembourg Presidency attaches to the development of a common European space Programme, which must, of course, be carried out for the benefit of citizens. She confirmed that the Luxembourg Presidency intends to organise a second "Space" Council before taking concrete decisions on this matter. Given that international cooperation is a necessity in space-related issues, she emphasised the open nature of the two recent major space initiatives: the Galileo programmes (navigation by satellite) and GMES (space observation of Earth). Ms Modert was particularly pleased with the interest that these European programmes have generated in third countries. She also mentioned the aspect of global cohesion which communication satellites in particular can achieve by reducing the "digital fracture" phenomenon, i.e. the exclusion of a number of regions around the globe from access to the mass of information which will henceforth be widely available.

She also took part in a direct communication link with the two astronauts Leroy Chiao and Salizhan Shapirov, who are on board the international space station. This project is another concrete example of the international space cooperation activities currently being pursued.

The conference was followed by speeches by the European Commissioner responsible for the European Space Programme, Günther Verheugen, and the Director General of the European Space Agency, Jean-Jacques Dordain, who highlighted the success of the recent maiden flight of the new European launcher Ariane 5 ECA.



This page was last modified on : 18-02-2005

Top Top