Phil Evans at the 13th European Space Conference
Major players from the European space industry gathered to debate and discuss.
The 13th Annual European Space Conference took place in Brussels and online this week, and EUMETSAT’s Director-General, Phil Evans, was there.
15 January 2021
15 January 2021
The Annual European Space conference is a yearly conference where major players in the European space industry assemble to discuss and debate the future of European space policy, especially in the areas of telecommunications security, European space competitiveness, and European autonomy. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, this year’s conference took place in a hybrid format, with some attendees traveling to Brussels and many more logging in remotely from around the world.
In a wide-ranging talk, Director-General Evans discussed the crucial service provided by EUMETSAT to its member states and partner organisations: “EUMETSAT’s forecasts and planning are essential to preparing for extreme weather events… between 2007 and 2017, extreme weather events caused approximately €35 billion in damages across Western Europe. A study performed by the World Bank demonstrated that the economic impact of EUMETSAT satellite systems on the EU economy is on the order of €60 billion per year, impacting important economic sectors like transport, tourism, renewable energy, as well as… being crucial to the development and implementation of coherent environmental policies towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
In addition, Dr. Evans touched on some of EUMETSAT’s most successful programmes and partnerships, including the Meteosat programme, the Sentinel missions, and the Copernicus satellites, as well as the vital role they play for Europe’s future security and autonomy: “EUMETSAT is a key client and supporter of European space industries; 80% of EUMETSAT’s budget goes towards the industry... EUMETSAT will [also] be crucial in ensuring Europe’s autonomy in the digital age, having both the knowledge and the infrastructure to use data efficiently and safely.”
You can watch the Director-General’s whole talk here.
