{"id":356189,"date":"2026-04-22T15:08:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T15:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eodatahub.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/22\/nereus-general-assembly-2026-follow-up\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T15:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T15:08:08","slug":"nereus-general-assembly-2026-follow-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eodatahub.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/22\/nereus-general-assembly-2026-follow-up\/","title":{"rendered":"NEREUS General Assembly 2026 follow-up!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NEREUS General Assembly 2026, held on 15 April at the European Committee of the Regions, brought together regional and EU representatives, industry actors, and academic experts to discuss ongoing activities, strategic priorities, and the role of regions in Europe\u2019s space ecosystem. The strong participation of representatives from the European Parliament and the European Commission highlighted the growing recognition of regions in EU space policy. You can download the full report here (link<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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NEREUS Management Board & Brussels-based Secretariat<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Hosted on behalf of Bavaria by Tobias Gotthardt, NEREUS Vice-President, the session was opened by NEREUS President Thierry Cotelle, followed by remarks from Vice-Presidents Tobias Gotthardt and Vito Bardi. Discussions emphasized the need to better integrate regional ecosystems into EU space policy and to promote Copernicus and satellite data for innovation and evidence-based policymaking. Tobias Gotthardt also underlined the importance of Earth observation in addressing global challenges and the role of regions as innovation hubs through a video statement (link<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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Keynote speeches addressed developments in EU space policy. MEP Fran\u00e7ois Kalfon stressed the importance of strengthening regional involvement and committed to bringing regional perspectives into Parliament discussions.<\/p>\n

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Giancarlo Granero (European Commission, DG DEFIS) highlighted priorities such as competitiveness, innovation, and strategic autonomy, while recognizing the role of regions in implementation.<\/p>\n

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Giancarlo Granero<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Roya Ayazi, NEREUS Secretary-General, presented activities for 2025\/26 and introduced two panels. The first panel led by Ms Ayazi focused on positioning regional ecosystems within Europe\u2019s space landscape, with contributions from Fran\u00e7ois Kalfon, Marina Silveri, Daniela Dobreva-Nielsen, and Kamil Zi\u00f3\u0142kowski.<\/p>\n

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The second panel, led by Margarita Chrysaki, NEREUS Communication, Policy & Project Officer, addressed capacity building, highlighting education, research, and regional cooperation, with Estefania Blanch, Annick Castiaux, and Cristina Ananasso.<\/p>\n

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The NEREUS Regional Symposium will take place on 22\u201323 October 2026 in Bologna, focusing on interregional cooperation and knowledge exchange, as presented by Adriano Gilli and Lorenzo Calabri.<\/p>\n

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Ms Anna Huk, Member of the Board of the Podkarpackie Region, announced that the 2027 NEREUS Regional Symposium will be jointly organised by the Podkarpackie and Ma\u0142opolska regions. The symposium will focus on security, reflecting the growing importance of space-based capabilities in addressing emerging geopolitical and societal challenges.<\/p>\n

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Further announcements included the International Astronautical Congress 2027 in Poznan, the Space Summit for a Resilient Future in October 2026 in Toulouse, and the save-the-date for the Space Economy Italian Expo.<\/p>\n

The Assembly concluded with an open discussion and statutory matters.<\/p>\n

Presentations:<\/p>\n