Objective Europe: Italy and the future of space. This is the topic of the event organized by the Interministerial Committee for Space and Aerospace Policies (COMINT) of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the Italian Space Agency. The meeting, which took place this morning at the ASI headquarters, provided the opportunity to present and discuss the ESA’ 2025 Agenda, with the purpose of elaborating an Italian position shared by all stakeholders.

The event was chaired by the Undersecretary with responsibility for space and aerospace policies and President of the COMINT, Hon. Bruno Tabacci. Immediately after the introduction, the General Luigi De Leverano, Military Advisor to the Prime Minister, intervened for a greeting in remote connection, followed by a speech by the Ambassador Antonio Bernardini, Permanent Representative to the International organizations in Paris.

In his speech, the ASI president, Giorgio Saccoccia, described the journey that will lead Italy to taking part in the next ESA Ministerial Council in 2022 and, more in general, the lines of action of Italian space activities. Afterwards, a discussion was held with the participation of the representatives of trade associations (AIAD, AIPAS and ASAS), aerospace districts, industries, SMEs, research bodies and universities.

“We are extremely happy to host this event in ASI, strongly desired by the Hon. Bruno Tabacci and the Prime Minister – said the ASI president, Giorgio Saccoccia, - it’s an important moment of meeting on the future of space in Europe and Italy. The key point of this journey is the partnership between industries, research bodies and the Italian Space Agency. Having on our side the attention of politics and the whole country, we can aim, in a cohesive way, at the next national challenges in the industry and also at an effective participation in the 2022 ESA Ministerial Conference with a concrete look towards the next steps of the upcoming space activities.

It’s a future that, clearly, requires attention to young people. They will be the lifeblood to carry forward the innovative ideas and projects that we are planning to develop. In close partnership with the world of education and universities, we will ensure that new skills are soon available to feed the workforce for the future of the industry”.

At the end, the speech by the ESA Director General, Josef Aschbacher, on the “Future of the ESA and relations with Italy”, whereas the closing remarks on the day were entrusted to the Hon. Bruno Tabacci. At the end of the event, the ASI presidente and the Hon. Tabacci answered questions from the press. The ESA Agenda is based on 5 key pillars: strengthening the relations between the European Space Agency and the European Union; stimulating commercialization for a green and digital Europe; developing space infrastructures also for European security; addressing the challenges facing crucial programs and completing the transformation of the European Space Agency.