Paris, 15 September 2006 - “ESDP needs a real European Space policy”, insists the President of the WEU Assembly, Jean-Pierre Masseret (France, Socialist Group).  The WEU Assembly and the European Interparliamentary Space Conference are jointly organising a Colloquy on space, defence and European security in Kourou, French Guiana, from 19-22 September 2006, at the invitation of ARIANESPACE (President Jean-Marie Luton) and in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the French space agency, CNES.
Numerous members of the national parliaments of European countries, as well as representatives of the European Parliament and the EU Military Staff and Satellite Centre, will be attending the colloquy alongside leading figures from Europe’s space industry. The colloquy will study the different aspects of a European space policy in the area of security and defence, with a particular focus on the technological and industrial capacities needed in order to achieve such a policy.
WEU Assembly President Jean-Pierre Masseret (Senator, France), European Interparliamentary Space Conference President François Roelants du Vivier (Senator, Belgium) and the Chairman of the WEU Assembly’s Technological and Aerospace Committee, Edward O’Hara (MP, United Kingdom) will be opening the colloquy. ARIANESPACE CEO, Jean-Yves Le Gall, will introduce the proceedings and present the launch facilities in Kourou.
During the first sitting, on 20 September, Yannick d’Escatha, President of CNES, Jean-Jacques Dordain, Director General of ESA, and representatives of other European institutions will put forward their ideas on the development of a European space policy.  During the second sitting, on 21 September, management representatives from ASTRIUM (François Auque and Alain Charmeau), the aeronautical and space propulsion department of the SAFRAN Group (Jean-Paul Herteman), INDRA ESPACIO (José María Martí Fluxá) and ALCATEL-ALENIA space (Pascale Sourisse) will identify the technological and industrial capacities needed to develop a genuine European space policy.
The participants will be briefed on the ARIANE 5 and VEGA launch installations and visit the new SOYUZ site.