Ministers in charge of space activities within the 20 ESA Member States and Canada met at the ESA Council Meeting at Ministerial Level, Luxembourg, on 2nd December 2014, to take key decisions on Europe’s launcher programmes, the European Participation in the ISS Exploitation Programme, the future European strategy for exploration and the evolution of ESA.
Front, from left: Karel Dobeš, Deputy Minister of Transport, Czech Republic; Anders Lönn, State Secretary for Higher Education and Research, Sweden; Rt Hon Greg Clark, Minister of State for Universities, Science and Cities, United Kingdom; Geneviève Fioraso, Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research, France; Etienne Schneider, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Economy, Luxembourg; Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General; Mauro Dell’Ambrogio, State Secretary for Education and Research, Switzerland; Brigitte Zypries, Parliamentary State Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, Germany; Stefania Giannini, Minister of Education, University and Research, Italy; Alois Stöger, Federal Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology, Austria; Elke Sleurs, Secretary of State for Space Policy, Belgium; Grazyna Henclewska, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Economy, Poland.
Back, from left: Mihnea Cosmin Costoiu, Minister Delegate for Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technological Development, Romania; Christos Vasilakos, Secretary General for Research and Technology, Greece ; Nuno Crato, Minister of Education and Science, Portugal; Arne Benjaminsen, Director General, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Norway; Begoña Cristeto, Secretary General for Industry and SME, Spain ; Jasper Wesseling, Deputy Director General for Enterprise and Innovation, Ministry of Economic Affairs, The Netherlands; Paudie Coffey, Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Ireland; Petri Peltonen, Director General, Ministry of Employment and the Economy, Finland ; Uffe Toudal-Pedersen, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Higher Education and Science, Denmark; Luc Brûlé, acting President of the Canadian Space Agency, Canada.