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Focus on research and space at the Ministerial Council meeting in Brussels

Today, Tuesday 23 May, the European Union’s research and space ministers gather in Brussels during the second day of the meeting of the Competitiveness Council. On the agenda are, among others, open science, scientific publishing, knowledge security, and space issues. The meeting will be chaired by Education Minister Mats Persson.

It is expected that the research ministers will adopt during the morning the council’s conclusions on open science and scientific publishing. The purpose of the Board’s conclusions is to accelerate the transition to open science with a focus on enhancing the quality, efficiency and impact of research. The ministers will also hold an orientation debate on knowledge security and responsible internationalization. This is followed by a lunchtime discussion of science denial and knowledge resistance.

The afternoon will be devoted to space issues. Space ministers are expected to adopt the council’s conclusions on the fair and sustainable use of space. The background is that the rapid development of technology has led to an increase in crowding in space with respect to both satellites and space junk, while we increasingly rely on space infrastructure for socially significant activities. The conclusions state that space is one of the global commons and therefore must be protected so that in the future it can also be used for the benefit of society and citizens. Ministers will also hold a debate on the guidelines for EU space policy in a new geopolitical landscape and how this might affect existing space programmes.

– I look forward to meeting my European colleagues to discuss, among other things, open science and how we can achieve fair use of space. Education Minister Mats Persson says these questions are important not only for the European Union but for the whole world.

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