International Space Summit in Paris
France is hosting a major international space summit in Paris on 9 and 10 September, focusing on international space affairs and, above all, Europe’s self-sufficiency in space. Several heads of state will take part, including Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, who will deliver Finland’s address on Thursday 10 September in a panel discussion immediately after the second intervention by French President Emmanuel Macron.
The topic of Stubb’s discussion is future space infrastructure. The other panellists are Greek Prime Minister Kyriákos Mitsotákis, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pachinian, United Arab Emirates Minister of Sport Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, and the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Science Jonathan Reynolds.
This is believed to be the first time Finland has taken part in a space-related meeting at such a high political level.
Participants from 120 countries will be present. Those invited also include representatives of companies and organisations in the space sector, astronauts, parliamentarians, and decision-makers from local and regional governments as well as development banks. France and Germany are co-chairing the summit.
In addition to Thursday’s addresses by heads of state, the two-day programme includes several parallel session tracks covering, among other topics, access to space, future industrial activity in space, the space economy in 2035, and international cooperation and legislation.
Other participants from Finland will also attend, and among the Finnish speakers will be at least Timo Pesonen, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space. According to rumours, a significant industrial contract related to the EU’s forthcoming IRIS2 secure communications satellite system will be announced at the summit.
The summit’s weight is somewhat diminished by the fact that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has cancelled his participation due to Germany’s domestic political situation, and virtually all major US companies in the sector will also stay away from Paris (according to Politico, at the request of the White House).