News

Latest Feature stories

• January 5, 2012
  "The Power of Three" era continues in 2012 with Arianespace's complete launcher family
  
• December 7, 2011
  On the record with Arianespace Chairman & CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall
  
• December 7, 2011
  Holiday gathering in Washington, D.C. highlights Arianespace's 2011 successes
  


• Archive

Feature story

Community of Ariane Cities Meeting Stresses Need for Approval of Continued Development for Large-Scale Space Programs in Europe

April 14, 2003

An international Community of Ariane Cities (CVA) conference has underscored the need for Europe to remain strong in its determination to support key space programs for the years to come.

The April 4 meeting in the Belgium capital of Brussels was organized on the theme: "The contribution of Space to Competitiveness, Growth and Employment in Europe," and was attended by political leaders, industry managers and space agency representatives.

CVA President Dr. Henning Scherf said large programs are vital to European industry, and are important for the business and jobs they generate on both the regional and local levels within the participating countries.

"The way to a united Europe is a way guided by promising projects instead of (jurisdictional) paragraphs," explained Scherf - who also is mayor of the German city of Bremen and president of the Senate in the German state of Bremen.

During the April 4 CVA meeting, the future of European space was discussed with attendees that included Jack Matthey, the European Commission's space and research expert. He said the Commission currently is working on a "Greenbook" document, which eventually is to become a multilaterally agreed "Whitebook" on European space policy.

Mayors of the CVA member cities in Europe and French Guiana asked the European Space Agency to integrate local and regional European politics into their decision process on space programs. They welcomed the European Commission's commitment to ensure a long-term strategy for space research and projects by integrating space into the future European constitution.

Another main topic of the April 4 gathering was the broad spectrum of applications resulting from space research. Discussions on this theme were chaired by Prof. Koschel, from Germany's DLR space organization in Lampoldshausen, and the CVA members stressed the importance of space projects for civilian use (environment, navigation and telecommunications) as well as for security and safety.

CVA members attending the Brussels meeting accepted the invitation to actively contribute to the European Commission's Greenbook. "The European space projects to be initiated or evolved in the future must be understood and supported by the local and regional areas," said Scherf. "The CVA is a vital element to strengthen the integration of those areas in Europe that directly support, as well as profit, from space projects."

The Community of Ariane Cities formed in 1998 to assist the economic, cultural and educational development of the cities and citizens who contribute, directly or indirectly to the Ariane program and to European space activities. Arianespace is one of the CVA's founding member companies.