European Interparliamentary Space Conference is discussing space cooperation in Tallinn

The plenary sitting of the European Interparliamentary Space Conference (EISC) and the related meetings will focus on the common ground in the field of space. The head of the Estonian delegation Mario Kadastik said that the components of military vs. civilian use had been kept apart so far; however, the changed global situation had introduced cross-usage into the field of space. “The new reality in turn has highlighted the need to use and develop both the civilian and military infrastructures more efficiently as a foundation for future space-based security,” Kadastik said.

This meeting brings to Tallinn representatives from the EISC member states, the European Space Agency, and the European Space Policy Institute.

Politicians and space management experts will take part in panel discussions in the Riigikogu Conference Hall, discussing the topics of shifting boundaries in space over the next decade as well as the integration of the space dimension into military structures and operations.

Taking part in the discussion are the head of the Estonian delegation Mario Kadastik, Director of the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) Hermann Ludwig Moeller, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA) Josef Aschbacher, Policy Officer for Space in the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence, Major R. Toni Pfaffenbauer, security expert Rainer Saks, and expert of the Estonian Defence Forces Ivo Peets.

Friday will include visits to the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence and cyber security company CybExer Technologies. The company is known for its cyber range platform solutions.

The European Interparliamentary Space Conference was established in 1999. Its full members are the national parliaments of the Member States of the European Union and/or the European Space Agency that have established a parliamentary body dealing with space affairs.

The aim of the EISC is to facilitate information exchange, discussion, and analysis in the space policy sector for the national parliaments in Europe. The resolutions adopted at the meetings of the EISC are not binding for national parliaments, but the organisation helps to define the role of the European legislators in space issues.

The organisation currently has 15 full members. The official languages of the EISC are English, French, and German.

The chairmanship of the EISC rotates, and one country holds it for one year. The task of the presidency is to organise a workshop on topics of space from a practical perspective, as well as a plenary session, where a resolution on hot topics of the year is passed.

Estonia last held the presidency of the EISC in 2017. The aim of our presidency at the time was to launch a discussion on how to use entrepreneurship in the space industry, and how to deal with the legislation regulating these issues.

Photos (will be added in accordance with the programme; author: Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)

Riigikogu Press Service
Gunnar Paal
+372 631 6351, +372 5190 2837
gunnar.paal@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: European Interparliamentary Space Conference is discussing space cooperation in Tallinn

Source: Parliament of Estonia