NordenBladet —
This year, Estonia is holding the rotating chairmanship of the European Interparliamentary Space Conference, with meetings focusing on maritime security and cybersecurity.
“The Estonian chairmanship will be introduced by a discussion on security in the space sector, during which we intend to focus even more on the common ground between security and the space sector and increase the participation of politicians in these discussions,” the chairman of the Estonian delegation Mario Kadastik emphasised.
“While until now, the military and civilian uses of space have been kept very clearly separate, there has been cross-use within the framework of the war in Ukraine,” Kadastik said. “This new reality now needs to be brought into broader focus as to how we can more effectively use and develop both civil and military infrastructure in space to ensure space-based security in the future,” he said.
Kadastik explained that the thematic discussion relating to maritime security would be based on recent cases of hybrid warfare in the Baltic Sea region, where, among other things, underwater cables had been cut, and shadow vessels were engaged in unspecified activities. Through space it is possible to support better surveillance to support regional security and identify threats to the interests of European countries. The debate will be moderated by Tomas Hrozensky, Senior Researcher and Lead on European Engagement at the European Space Policy Institute.
Another topic to be discussed will be the potential of cyber defence in the development of the space sector. Kadastik noted that the interference and counterfeiting in the Baltic Sea had become a major security threat to the EU and its infrastructure. Improving cybersecurity mechanisms and systems would support the maintenance of European capabilities. The impact and potential that the space cyber-security training ground being developed in Estonia will have in the development of the space sector and the security of satellite technology in Europe will also be discussed. The debate will be moderated by James Francis, Research Fellow at the European Space Policy Institute.
Representatives of the European Space Agency, the European Space Research Institute, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, and Estonian companies Cybernetica, Spaceit and Kappazeta will take part in the discussions.
On Tuesday, the European parliamentarians will visit the European Space Agency’s business incubation centre in Tartu, where they will meet Estonian space sector entrepreneurs. The incubator was opened in 2017, and its aim is to help Estonian start-ups reach the international market by providing them with start-up funding along with industry-specific mentoring. Tartu Science Park is the lead partner for the centre.
The two-day event will bring together politicians and experts from ten European countries. Members of the Riigikogu Mario Kadastik and Tõnis Lukas will participate from Estonia.
The meeting is part of the Presidency of the European Interparliamentary Conference on Space, which will also include a plenary session in Estonia in autumn.
For more information, please contact: Mario Kadastik, +372 503 7434
Please note that photos will be uploaded with a delay during the meeting.
Riigikogu Press Service
Gunnar Paal,
+372 631 6351, +372 5190 2837
gunnar.paal@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee
Link uudisele: Ensuring security is the central theme at the European Space Conference in Tartu
Source: Parliament of Estonia