Invitation

Invitation letter to the ESA Council at ministerial level as part of the Space Summit 2023 From Chair of the ESA Council at ministerial level - Germany To All participants to the ESA Council at Ministerial level as part of the Space Summit 2023, i.e.: - For the ESA Council meeting: ESA Member States1, Associate Members2 and Canada, as well as observers (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Malta, Council of the European Union, European parliament, European Commission, European External Action Service, EDA, EMSA, ESO, CERN, EUROCONTROL, OECD, ERC, SatCen, EUSPA, EUMETSAT and ESF/ESSC) Enclosed: - Draft Practical Arrangements for the ESA Council at ministerial level as part of the Space Summit 2023, including draft programme for the Space Summit 2023 in cooperation with the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council (6 and 7 November) 1 Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, United Kingdom, Sweden and Switzerland 2 Latvia, Lithuania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia 1 Berlin, 9 October 2023 Subject: Invitation to the ESA Council at ministerial level as part of the Space Summit 2023 Dear Minister, As Chair of the ESA Council at ministerial level, I have the pleasure of inviting you to the ESA Council meeting at ministerial level to be held in Seville, Spain, on 6 November 2023. This ESA Council meeting at ministerial level together with the meetings on the following day, 7 November 2023, organised by the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in Seville, constitute the Space Summit 2023. In Europe and globally, we are advancing towards a future in which space is used at its fullest potential as an indispensable and integral part of a prosperous society. That future must be green, sustainable and safe. Europe needs to be ambitious to boost the impact of space for climate action and green transition, as space plays an ever-more central role for tackling environmental and socio-economic issues on Earth. That future is also to be underpinned by a new vision for space transportation, restoring and guaranteeing independent, reliable and cost-effective access to space for Europe with the necessary capability and competition. Finally, that future calls for shaping Europe’s position in space exploration at a time where public and commercial actors expand their presence in space. The work of the European Space Agency has been instrumental in identifying solutions towards an ambitious positioning for Europe. The Space Summit will start on 6 November 2023 with the ESA Council meeting at ministerial level, focusing on green space, access to space as well as space exploration. More specifically, it offers an opportunity to provide political guidance on how to build green space, how to secure Europe’s independent, reliable and cost-effective access to space now and in the future, as well as how to advance Europe’s exploration ambitions in an international context. A social event on 6 November will conclude the first day. On 7 November the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU will invite for the informal meeting of the EU Competitiveness Council focusing on resilience and autonomy, followed by a joint informal meeting of the ESA Council at ministerial level and the EU Competitiveness Council at ministerial level. Further details for the ESA Council at ministerial level on 6 November are provided in the enclosed Space Summit programme and the practical arrangements document, which contains registration and accreditation information. Similar information will be made available by the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council for the other events and occurrences of the Space Summit. 2 Please nominate a Delegation Accreditation Officer (DAO) for your delegation no later than 10 October 2023 by sending the name to the Spanish Presidency ([email protected]) with copy to ESA DG’s Cabinet ([email protected]). Registration deadline for all delegations is 22 October 2023. For further information regarding the logistics of the meeting please refer to the attached document on Practical Arrangements. Sincerely Yours, Dr. Robert Habeck German Chair of ESA Council at Ministerial level 3 ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For ESA Official Use Only Paris, 4 October2023 EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY Council meeting at ministerial level Practical arrangements for the ESA Council meeting at Ministerial level on 6 November 2023 as part of the Space Summit 2023 Summary Delegations will find attached the practical arrangements for the ESA Council meetings at Ministerial level to be held on Monday, 6 November 2023 at FIBES in Sevilla, Spain, as part of the Space Summit 2023. Separate practical arrangements are to be provided by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the meetings to be held on Tuesday, 7 November 2023, also as part of the Space Summit 2023. An overall programme of the Space Summit is provided in the annex. Actions required Delegations are invited to: 1) Take note of the present document; 2) Nominate a contact person (Delegation Accreditation Officer – DAO) for registration purpose at your earliest convenience and not later than 8 October 2023, and provide this information to Spanish Presidency of the EU (as indicated in their Practical Information Note, [email protected]) with copy to [email protected]; 3) Proceed with registration by 22 October 2023 according to the indication received by the Spanish Presidency of the EU to the contact person/DAO; delegations are also invited to proceed with booking of recommended hotels at their earliest convenience as appropriate; 4) Provide advance copy of statements to be made at the Space Summit by 3 November 2023, to [email protected]. The statements will be attached to the minutes of meeting; 5) Inform about specific security measures for Ministers and High-Level Representatives, if any, to [email protected]. Page 2 (This page is intentionally left blank)  Page 3 1. Meeting venue and date The ESA Council meeting at Ministerial level, as part of the Space Summit 2023, will take place on 6 November 2023 at: FIBES – Conference and Exhibition Centre (Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos) Avenida Alcalde Luis Uruñuela, 1 41020 Seville, Spain 2. Composition of delegations Within the Space Summit 2023, the ESA Council meeting at Ministerial level, to be held on 6 November 2023, will be followed on 7 November 2023 by an informal meeting of European ministers responsible for space and a joint ESA-EU meeting. States which are members of both the European Space Agency and European Union shall decide on the composition of a single delegation which will participate in the three planned meetings, i.e. the ESA Council meeting, the informal meeting of European ministers responsible for space and the joint ESA-EU meeting. In line with the indication of the Spanish Presidency of the EU, each head of delegation at ministerial level of ESA Member, Associate and Cooperating States, as well as Member States of the EU and the Commissioner, may be accompanied by two delegates. Additionally, upon request to the Spanish Presidency of the EU a security officer can be added to the Delegation. All other delegations shall be limited to two representatives. 3. Registration and badge distribution Each Head of Delegation is invited to nominate a contact person (Delegation Accreditation Officer – DAO), for registration purpose at your earliest convenience and not later than 10 October 2023 and provide this information to Spanish Presidency of the EU (as indicated in their Practical Information Note, [email protected]) with copy to [email protected]. The assigned contact person will be contacted in case of need for further information on their delegation’s registration. A registration link will be provided by the Spanish Presidency of the EU to the contact person (DAO). Page 4 The deadline for registration to the ESA Council meeting at ministerial level is 22 October 2023. The badges will be distributed in coordination with the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Cabinet of ESA DG is available in case of queries. Please ensure to have an ID card or passport to enter the meeting venue. 4. Draft Programme A draft programme of the Space Summit 2023 can be found in Annex. 5. Travel arrangements to/from Sevilla Seville is located in the south of Spain. It is served by Seville International Airport which is 10km north-east of the city. Madrid provides the most frequent flight connections to European capitals. All delegations will be responsible for their own travel arrangements to and from Seville. The FIBES – Conference and Exhibition Centre is located approximately 10 minutes by taxi or by car from the airport. Both the recommended hotels Alfonso XIII and Eurostar Torre Sevilla are located approximately 20 minutes by taxi or by car from the airport. 6. Accommodation Participants are invited to make their hotel bookings arrangements via the link to the online accreditation platform to be provided to the appointed DAO for the night covered by the Spanish Presidency of the EU, that is 6 November 2023.  Page 5 The following hotels have been recommended by the Spanish Presidency of the EU: Hotel Recommended hotel for Ministers Hotel Alfonso XIII Registration link: Calle San Fernando, 2 Book Your Group/Corporate Rate | Marriott 41004 Seville International Eurostar Torre Sevilla Recommended hotel for other edificio Torre, participants Pl. Alcalde Sánchez Monteseirín, 2 Registration by using code: ESA1 (for 41092 Sevilla Delegations only) Please note that only a limited number of rooms are available in each hotel and will be allocated on a first come first served approach. Hotel reservation should be done: - on the Spanish Presidency of the EU platform at the moment of registration for the night of 6 November; - No later than 22 October 2023 for any additional nights (accommodation to be borne by participants) in both Hotels as specified above. Transportation will only be proposed to/from these selected Hotels 7. Transport services during the event Delegations are invited to refer to indications to be provided by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union for details on transport services. 8. Seating arrangements in the Main Meeting Room (MMR) of the ESA Council meeting at Ministerial level ESA Member, Associate and Cooperating States, as well as member States of the EU will each have 1 seat at the main table and 2 additional seats will be available in the back row. All other delegations will each have 2 seats in the main meeting room. There will be no listening room. Page 6 9. Statements and discussion Due to time constraints, delegations of Member States will be given a maximum of 3 minutes each for their intervention, which may be followed by an informal debate. No statements are expected from observers. Delegations with written interventions should provide an advanced copy (electronic version) to the Director General’s Cabinet: [email protected] no later than Friday, 3 November 2023 The statements will be attached to the minutes of the meeting. 10. Documents and printing All documents will be made available in electronic format via the ESA electronic document management system (https://bluedocs.esa.int). Observers will receive a copy of the documents via email. With the ESA electronic document management system, ESA is targeting zero paper. 11. Disclosure of information It is planned to stream part of the ESA Council meeting at ministerial level, subject to Council approval, concomitantly with the adoption of the meeting agenda (Rule 8.4 of the Council Rules of Procedure). ESA official documents are not for public use, except if otherwise decided by Council. A Press Conference is planned after the end of the meeting. Individual interviews with Ministers and high-level representatives can be obtained for representatives of the media by email to [email protected]. 12. Languages and interpretation Simultaneous interpretation into English, French and German will be provided, in the main meeting room (MMR), during the ESA Council meeting at Ministerial level as part of the Space Summit 2023.  Page 7 13. Wi-Fi at the venue The password to obtain Wi-Fi access at FIBES will be provided at FIBES upon arrival. 14. Mobile phones Delegates are kindly requested to keep their mobile phones in silent mode inside the MMR during the session. 15. Security Specific security measures for Ministers and High-Level Representatives, if any, have to be arranged between the delegations’ relevant services, via their respective embassies, and, as needed, the Spanish authorities responsible for security (eg transfer from airport to hotel/meeting venue). During the event, access to the venue will be restricted in accordance with the badges allocated. Those participants who have not obtained their badge prior to the meeting will be requested to present a valid passport or identity card upon arrival at the venue. 16. Social events On the 6 November 2023, evening of the ESA Council meeting at Ministerial level as part of the Space Summit 2023, Ministers of ESA and EU Member States are invited to a Gala dinner organised by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The accompanying delegates of ESA and EU Member States, within the limits defined in section 2 above, are invited to a separate dinner. These dinners will take place at Real Alcazar of Seville (Patio de Banderas, 41004 Seville) from 20:30 on 6 November 2023. The dinner will be served in the Gothic Palace in separate areas for Heads of Delegation and Delegates. Other participants will be invited by ESA to an informal standing lunch at the hotel Eurostar Torre Sevilla. 17. Inquiries Piero Messina Cabinet of the Director General of ESA Courriel [email protected] Tel. +33 6 74 60 80 98 Annex Space Summit 2023 PROGRAMME The programme is subject to changes - Transports will be provided between main location and selected hotels. An Extraordinary ESA Council meeting at Delegate level may take place on 6 November 2023. Further information will be provided in due course. Monday, 6 November 2023 Time Event Location 12.00 – 12.30 Doorstep/handshake FIBES 12:30 – 13:30 Informal buffet lunch for all participants FIBES, Main Hall 14:00 – 18:00 ESA Council at Ministerial Level FIBES, Main Meeting as part of Space Summit 2023 Room 16:00 – 16:20 Coffee break FIBES, Main Hall 18:00 – 18:20 Group Photo FIBES, Main Hall 18:30 – 19:15 Press Conference FIBES, Press Room 20:30 - 22:00 Dinner for Ministers and High-Level representatives Royal Alcazar Tuesday, 7 November 2023 Time Event Location 08:15 – 08:30 Doorstep/Handshake Pabellón de la Navegación 08:45 – 10:45 Informal meeting of the EU Competitiveness Pabellón de la Council (EU Ministers) Navegación, Sala Polivalente 1 10:45 - 11:45 Group photo and coffee break Pabellón de la Navegación 11:45 - 14:00 Informal ESA-EU joint meeting Pabellón de la Navegación, Sala Polivalente 1 14:00 – 14:30 Joint ESA-EU Press Conference Pabellón de la Navegación’s Library 14:00 - 15:15 Standing lunch / cocktail Pabellón de la Navegación 16:00 - 17:15 High-Level Dialogue Europe-Latin-America & FIBES Caribbean on Space 17:30 – 19:30 High Level Opening Session of the EU Space Week FIBES Saatja: <=?windows-1257?Q?Kristel_T=E4nover?=> Saadetud: 10.10.2023 09:40 Adressaat: <"MKM info"> Koopia: <"Paul Liias">; <"Silver Tammik"> Teema: FW: Invitation to the ESA Council at ministerial level as part of the Space Summit 2023 Manused: Practical Arrangements_Agenda_Summit.pdf; Invitation.pdf -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, October 9, 2023 6:18 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Invitation to the ESA Council at ministerial level as part of the Space Summit 2023 Dear Minister, Kindly find enclosed the invitation to the ESA Council at ministerial level as part of the Space Summit 2023 on 7 November 2023. Kind regards, For the Minister Friedrich König ________________________ Division IVD3 Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Villemombler Str. 76, 53123 Bonn, Germany Phone: +49-(228)-99-615-2031 E-Mail: [email protected] Internet: https://www.bmwk.de The protection of your data is important to us. You can find out more about how your personal data are handled by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action in the data protection statement at www.bmwk.de/privacy-policy.