Pedro Fernández, Representative of the Spanish Government in Andalusia, chaired this morning the Informal Ministerial Meeting (RIM) Security Meeting on Competitiveness (Space) to be held on 7 November in the Navigation Pavilion in Seville. With more than 40 representatives between EU member states, guest countries, European Space Agency (ESA) members and other organizations in the space sector.
Pedro Fernández said members of the National Police, the Civil Guard, the Civil Guard’s transport team, the local police and the Health Emergency Center 061 of Andalusia will participate in the security device assessed this Monday. airport.
On the other hand, he argued that Andalusia is the autonomous community that hosts the most ministerial events on the occasion of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union, as it has so far hosted three of the 23 high-level informal meetings. Within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union Spain will hold all national territory.
In Andalusia, an informal meeting of agriculture ministers has already been held in Córdoba, a meeting of development cooperation ministers in Cádiz, a summit of heads of state and government in Granada and a meeting of the European political community. The one to be held in Seville on November 7 will be the fourth and last in the autonomous community.
Pedro Fernández highlighted that the Spanish Presidency of the European Union is “a wonderful showcase for Andalucía” and that through this meeting, the position of the Andalucian space sector has been strengthened and, in a very special way, the capital of Seville. Headquarters of the Spanish Space Agency.
The Informal Ministerial Meeting on Competitiveness (Space) will discuss measures to be taken by the EU to ensure the continuity and strengthening of space-based infrastructure and services.
Contents of the meeting
Diana Morant, Spain’s Minister of Science and Innovation, will chair a meeting in Seville on November 7 that will focus the political debate on protecting European space assets and making them more competitive and resilient.
Ministers will also outline measures to reduce the EU’s strategic dependence on the space value chain.
The Seville meeting, held within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, also seeks to promote the technical autonomy of the EU and its member states.
The Spanish Presidency considers space services to be very important to carry out the double digital and green transition and to protect the freedom of citizens.
Discussions will therefore focus on possible measures to ensure autonomous access to space and increase the resilience of space infrastructure in the EU, including replacing constellations and deploying future constellations.
Climate emergency
The European Union has encouraged the development of space systems because of the fundamental role they play in the well-being of citizens. According to the European Union, thanks to these tools, it will be possible to face major challenges such as climate emergencies, natural disasters or the digital divide.
In addition, they contribute to the social and economic development of the EU, creating an innovative ecosystem that strengthens companies and projects them abroad. One of the main European space services is the Galileo Global Positioning, Satellite Navigation and Time Synchronization System.
Having its own stabilization system gives the EU strategic autonomy vis-à-vis third countries and can be used in sophisticated projects in sectors such as agriculture.
Satellite security
In the area of strategic autonomy, the implementation of the IRIS 2 satellite suite, infrastructure for resilience, satellite interoperability and security is decisive for the future of the EU, and it has full operational capability by 2027.
The constellation will provide secure communications, global sovereignty and infrastructure security or crisis management, while contributing to digital transformation and the European Global Gateway strategy.
Another very relevant European space service is the Copernicus project for Earth observation, which is important in implementing the initiatives of the European Green Deal, as it allows frequent monitoring of events such as droughts, fires or floods.
Another function of Copernicus was to present the scientific evidence of global warming to the public and was therefore an important tool for countering climate change denialist discourse.
