TALLINN, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The European Space Agency (ESA) informal space ministerial meeting on Tuesday focused on the evolutions of the European Earth Observation Program Copernicus beyond 2020.
Estonian Minister for Entrepreneurship and Information Technology Urve Palo said the meeting aimed to provide strategic input for the future of the Copernicus program and to pave the way for the negotiations on the next EU budgetary period.
Discussion focused on, among other things, how to foster space entrepreneurship based on the Copernicus satellite data by involving private-sector investments in a more active way, according to a press release.
Palo said due to the growing interest and enhanced investments from the private sector, speed and flexibility are becoming increasingly important factors in global competition.
"We want to emphasize that space data is something in which all member states and businesses, regardless of their size, can join in on. The more we create opportunities for the smart use of space data both in the private and public sectors, the more jobs and investments will be made in the areas and regions that have not yet had this experience," she noted.
The Copernicus program, with EU investments in 2014-2020 totaling 4.3 billion euros (4.98 billion U.S. dollars), is one of the two largest EU space programs providing valuable data from land, sea, and the atmosphere for better public services and business opportunities, said the press release.
Meanwhile, European Space Week from Nov. 3 to Nov. 9 was organized by the Estonian presidency of the Council of the EU in cooperation with the European Commission.
