Malta is seriously considering joining the European Space Agency (ESA), an organisation of European countries collaborating together to develop space policy and initiatives.

The first indications of Malta's interest in space were given yesterday at the end of an informal EU space ministers' meeting in the French Guinea, where the ESA has its launch base.

According to French Research Minister Valerie Pecresse, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia and Cyprus are knocking on ESA's door to become members.

The Minister for Resources and Rural Affairs George Pullicino, who is responsible for Malta's space matters, was not present for the meeting but was represented by Brian Warrington, CEO of the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST).

Government sources told The Times yesterday that the MCST is preparing the groundwork for the possibility of joining the ESA because Malta believes that this is an important futuristic development which the island also needs to be part of.

"Malta, as an EU member state, should form part of all the policy developments being undertaken by the EU and its counterparts and so the government believes that membership of the ESA is also in Malta's interest," the sources said.

Apart from 15 EU member states, Norway and Switzerland are also members of the ESA. A third non-EU country, Canada, sits on the agency's governing council and takes part in some ESA projects through a cooperation agreement.

In 2001, the ESA set up a halfway house arrangement for former Soviet bloc countries in central and Eastern Europe. Under this so-called Plan For European Cooperating States (PECS), the ESA and these countries signed a five-year agreement for a closer role in ESA projects and procurements.

Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania and Poland already have PECS status.

Following the informal meeting, European enterprise and industry Commissioner Günter Verheugen called for an increase in EU space spending and the creation of a "clear budget" for space in the post-2013 budget period.

"We cannot tackle the global issues of climate change, terrorism and natural disasters if we do not use space capacities and we do not have independent, continued access to the data which are delivered by space applications," Mr Verheugen said.

The European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe's gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.

ESA is an international organisation with 17 member states. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members it can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.

What does it do?

ESA's job is to draw up the European space programme and carry it through. ESA's programmes are designed to find out more about earth, its immediate space environment, our solar system and the universe as well as to develop satellite-based technologies and services and to promote European industry.

ESA also works closely with space organisations outside Europe.

From The Times of Malta
Thursday, 24th July 2008