On 10 September 2016 about 2000 citizens from 22 European countries will
participate in the first Citizens’ Debate on Space for Europe.In the course of the day, citizens will have the opportunity to learn, debate, have their say and participate by suggesting priorities on all aspects of current and future space programmes.
This consultation on an unprecedented scale will take place simultaneously in all 22 Member States of the European Space Agency (ESA). Missions Publiques, the company that has been brought in by ESA to organise this consultation and conduct the debate, will gather approximately 100 citizens per Member State at various locations. Those selected will be as representative as possible of the population of their country according to socio-demographic criteria. The results of the consultation will be collated – as early as 48 hours after the debate takes place – and communicated to ESA.
Referring to this initiative, ESA Director General Jan Woerner, emphasised his commitment to ESA being more open to society and to further engaging in a dialogue with European citizens, and said, “Spaceflight, space science, exploration, Earth observation, telecommunication, satellite navigation, space technology and innovation can all help respond to societal challenges and be a source of inspiration to future generations. European citizens can help us better assess our priorities”.
The Citizens’ Debate on Space for Europe is a major first – never before has the future of space activities been addressed in such an event held across so many countries.
For more information, and to apply to take part in the debate, visit http://citizensdebate.space
About the European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, of whom 20 are Member States of the EU.
ESA has established formal cooperation with seven other Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.
By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes.
ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities.
Today, it develops and launches satellites for Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications and astronomy, sends probes to the far reaches of the Solar System and cooperates in the human exploration of space.
Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int
About Missions Publiques
Missions Publiques is a company specialised in citizen participation and policy dialogue with more than fifteen years of experience in this innovative field. Its team has expertise at local, national, European and global level. Missions Publiques has cooperated with 20 different organisations in helping to implement the Citizens' Debate on Space for Europe across ESA Member States.
For further information, please contact:
Nathalie Meusy
ESA Citizens’ Debate Project Manager
Email: contact@citizensdebate.space
The Citizens' Debate on Space for Europe is a unique - indeed the first instance of a - consultation organized in every member state of the European Space Agency. Over 2000 citizens selected to reflect the socio-demographic diversity of their country will debate on space matters during a day-long meeting. In order to consolidate the 22 national results reports into one European report, all debates will follow the same instructions and answer the same set of questions.
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