{"id":11786,"date":"2016-11-29T10:04:43","date_gmt":"2016-11-29T08:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oewf.org\/en\/?p=11786"},"modified":"2016-11-29T10:04:43","modified_gmt":"2016-11-29T08:04:43","slug":"esas-council-meeting-ministerial-level-defining-europes-future-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oewf.org\/en\/2016\/11\/esas-council-meeting-ministerial-level-defining-europes-future-space\/","title":{"rendered":"ESA\u2019s Council Meeting at Ministerial Level: Defining Europe\u2019s future in space"},"content":{"rendered":"

On December 1st and 2nd, ESA\u2019s Council will meet at the Ministerial Level in Lucerne, Switzerland. The politically highest decision-making body of ESA will have to make important long-term decisions which will define the future of European space activities in the upcoming years. But what exactly is the Ministerial Council? How does it work? And which topics will be under discussion?<\/p>\n

The Council at Ministerial Level<\/strong><\/p>\n

In order to understand the Ministerial Council, one first has to understand ESA itself. ESA is an international intergovernmental organization, meaning that it is mainly States which make the decisions. In that sense, ESA can be distinguished from non-governmental organizations (e.g. private companies, research institutes, civil society organizations, etc.) and from international organizations with so-called supranational elements in which their Member States have transferred their sovereignty in certain policy areas to the organization (e.g. certain parts of the EU).<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The ministers responsible for space during the Council Meeting in 2014. Austria was represented by Alois St\u00f6ger, former Federal Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology (front, third from the right) (c) ESA<\/p><\/div>\n

So in ESA, States are the primary decision-makers. The organ through which Member States make their decisions is the Council. Its functions, composition and procedures are defined in Art. XI of the ESA Convention (formally: Convention for the establishment of a European Space Agency). The Council convenes in two forms: the delegate level and the ministerial level. At the delegate level, delegates from Member States meet several times a year to discuss status and implementation of various programs. This can be described as the working level.<\/p>\n

The second form in which the Council meets is at the ministerial level. There is no rule defining how often that is to happen, but in the recent past, such meetings have taken place every two to three years. At the ministerial level, the Council makes fundamental and often highly political decisions. It determines the level of financial resources for ESA, can elect the Director General (DG) and decides on the general scientific and political direction of the organization. Every Member States has one vote at the Council, except for optional programs. Here, only Member States which participate get a vote.<\/p>\n

Looking back: The Ministerial Council in 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

The last Council Meeting at Ministerial Level took place two years ago on December 2nd at the European Convention Center in Luxembourg.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The conference room during the Council Meeting in 2014 (c) ESA<\/p><\/div>\n

At the meeting, three resolutions were passed:<\/p>\n