{"id":12750,"date":"2024-01-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eodatahub.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/10\/belgium-takes-over-the-presidency-of-the-council-of-the-european-union-for-the-next-6-months\/"},"modified":"2024-01-10T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-01-10T00:00:00","slug":"belgium-takes-over-the-presidency-of-the-council-of-the-european-union-for-the-next-6-months","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eodatahub.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/10\/belgium-takes-over-the-presidency-of-the-council-of-the-european-union-for-the-next-6-months\/","title":{"rendered":"Belgium takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next 6 months"},"content":{"rendered":"

The theme of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union is \u2018Protect, Strengthen, Prepare\u2019.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe vision of the Belgian Presidency is intended to be holistic, focusing on protecting people and the achievements of the EU, strengthening its economy, structures and capabilities, and proactively preparing for future challenges,\u201d says Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo.<\/p>\n

The Council presidency rotates among the EU Member States every six months. During this time, the presidency chairs meetings at every level in the Council, helping ensure the continuity of the EU\u2019s work in the Council.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Those priorities include everything from defending democracy to strengthening EU competitiveness, pursuing the green transition, protecting people, supporting Europe\u2019s health agenda and promoting a global Europe \u2013 six priorities that will all benefit from the EU Space Programme<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBy fostering the development of an innovative, competitive, secure and independent space sector, the EU Space Programme is set to contribute to each of the priorities set by the Belgian Presidency \u2013 all while reinforcing the EU\u2019s autonomy, resilience and democratic principles,\u201d adds EUSPA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa.<\/p>\n

Priority 1: Defending the rule of law, democracy and unity\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Defending the principles of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights will be an essential element in the Belgian Presidency\u2019s work \u2013 work that will involve, amongst other aspects, exploring the links between culture, heritage and European identity.<\/p>\n

EU Space can play a key role in protecting the unique cultural heritage and rich history that defines what it means to be European. For example, archaeologists use the precise positioning provided by GNSS<\/a> to quickly survey a field site and accurately map the location of any uncovered artefacts. They can also use the Earth Observation<\/a> data provided by Copernicus<\/a> to monitor artefacts, prevent damage to monuments and adopt effective conservation measures.<\/p>\n

Priority 2: Strengthening EU competitiveness\u00a0<\/h3>\n

The Belgian Presidency is also prioritising the role of research, development and innovation in developing and commercialising tailored solutions that boost EU resilience and competitiveness \u2013 a priority that is right up EUSPA\u2019s alley.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because the Agency offers a wide range of funding opportunities, including the very successful Horizon Europe Calls<\/a>, Fundamental Elements R&D funding mechanism<\/a> and CASSINI activities<\/a>, all of which are geared towards supporting research and innovation. In addition to cash prizes, many of these initiatives come with additional perks like mentoring, business support and incubation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Priority 3: Pursuing a green and just transition<\/h3>\n

In line with the Green Deal, the Belgian Presidency will place the green transition at the heart of its priorities.<\/p>\n

While EU Space and the data and services it provides are important assets to supporting the implementation of the Green Deal, the EU Space Programme is particularly well-positioned to help companies take a deep look at their internal operations and supply chains to identify opportunities for reducing their own environmental footprints. For example, Copernicus, Galileo<\/a> and EGNOS<\/a> supply the information companies need to monitor environmental indicators, reduce their environmental impact, comply with relevant policies and regulations, become more sustainable and drive the green transition.<\/p>\n

Priority 4: Reinforcing Europe\u2019s social and health agenda<\/h3>\n

As the Belgian Presidency looks to support the evaluation of the EU\u2019s crisis preparedness, strengthen the security of medicines supply and develop a strategy to boost the EU\u2019s health and care workforce, it can turn to Copernicus for help.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Copernicus Health Hub<\/a>, which was launched last year, is an innovative tool designed to help the health sector better leverage all the Earth Observation data, information, products and services available to them. Having access to such information could play a key role in preventing future pandemics, mapping diseases, addressing air pollution and monitoring allergens.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Priority 5: Protecting people and borders<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s not only the Belgian Presidency that is looking towards Europe\u2019s borders, EU Space is too. For instance, GOVSATCOM<\/a>, Europe\u2019s Governmental Satellite Communications programme, will allow the EU to enhance surveillance, including border and maritime surveillance and the surveillance of illegal trafficking.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Copernicus service for security applications<\/a> also plays a border surveillance role. Its main objectives are to reduce the death toll of illegal immigrants arriving by sea while also increasing the EU\u2019s internal security and mitigating cross-border crime. The service is operated by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) and provides the external border surveillance information exchange network (EUROSUR) with near real time data on activity happening around the EU\u2019s land and sea borders.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Priority 6: Promoting a global Europe<\/h3>\n

The Belgian Presidency begins during a period when the multilateral system and the rules-based international order face increasing strain from geopolitical confrontation.<\/p>\n

“In aligning with the thematic pillars of ‘Protect, Strengthen, Prepare,’ the EU Space Programme stands as a pivotal contributor across all fronts. By fostering innovation, resilience and unity, the EU Space Programme reinforces our commitment to a prosperous, secure and interconnected European landscape,” declared Julien B\u00e9clard, Chair of the Space Working Party for the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2024.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt its heart, the EU Space Programme is a European programme, built by Europe, for Europe,\u201d concludes da Costa. \u201cWhether it be boosting Europe\u2019s competitiveness, supporting its energy independence, mitigating the effects of climate change, protecting citizens from security threats and natural disasters, or simply keeping us connected with one another, EU Space is a key tool for promoting a global Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Media note: <\/strong>This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http:\/\/www.euspa.europa.eu<\/a><\/span>)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

EU Agency for the Space ProgrammeRead More<\/a> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The theme of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union is \u2018Protect, Strengthen, Prepare\u2019.\u00a0 \u201cThe vision of the Belgian Presidency is intended to be holistic, focusing on protecting people and the achievements of the EU, strengthening its economy, structures and capabilities, and proactively preparing for future challenges,\u201d says Prime Minister of Belgium…
Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-eu-news","category-events"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eodatahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eodatahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eodatahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eodatahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12750"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/eodatahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12750\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eodatahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eodatahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eodatahub.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}