The Directorate-General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission (EC) has launched an all-inclusive public consultation to solicit and assimilate stakeholder views on the policy priorities, challenges and opportunities for shaping a future Space Strategy for Europe.

In the period 2014-2020, the European Union will invest over €12 billion in space programmes. These investments are expected to create substantial market opportunities for European industry and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through the development of value-added downstream services and applications.

There are dynamic changes affecting the space industry from growing global competition, technological breakthroughs, and innovations spurring growing private sector interest in space. Space is increasingly attracting new companies and private entrepreneurs (aka ‘NewSpace’), which challenge the established views and business models of the traditional space industry.

The aforementioned developments present both challenges and opportunities for the European industry. It is vital for Europe to stay at the forefront of these developments and seize these new opportunities.

The European Commission has therefore decided to focus on 'A Space Strategy for Europe' as one of its key strategic initiatives for 2016. The purpose of this strategy will be to set out the overall strategic vision for the EU's activities in space during the next decade (c. 2030), while ensuring proper coordination and synergy with the activities pursued by EU countries individually or through the European Space Agency (ESA).

For the preparation of this strategy, the Commission has committed to put in place an inclusive and transparent consultation process to ensure that all relevant stakeholders (at European, national and regional levels) are involved. International partners are also invited to participate in this consultation.

The stakeholders will therefore have the opportunity to express their views on the different elements of the space strategy, including the objectives, the main challenges and opportunities facing the EU space sector today, the trends and drivers of global competition in the sector, as well as potential merits of any EU intervention.

Additional strategic considerations will include the market uptake by current and future users of the services and data generated by the flagship space programmes, Galileo/EGNOS and Copernicus, as well as the ongoing evolution of these programmes in the future.

How to submit your views