From May 3rd to 5th, 2023, the EU*Asia Institute was invited to the Institute of International Relations and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) Headquarters in Prague for its 15th workshop entitled: 'Space, Sustainability and Regionalism'.
This event started on May 3rd with a roundtable at the Institute of International Relations. Chaired by Nikola Schmidt, a senior researcher and head of the Center for Governance and Emerging Technologies, the discussion emphasized the importance of space across various domains such as transport, military, politics, and security. The speakers explained the ongoing research aimed at meeting the ever-growing needs in the field of space.
The speakers included:
- Václav Kobera - Director of ITS and Space Activities, Research, Development and Innovations, Ministry of Transportation,
- Jan Šnaidauf - Director of Strategy and Analyses Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
- Michal Křelina - EU Agency for the Space Programme, theoretical physicist and quantum security consultant for EUSPA (European Union Space Programme Agency) and NATO
- Anna Křivková – Researcher at the Czech Technical University in Prague
Following the roundtable, a two-day academic workshop was held at EUSPA, where 21 researchers and students presented their papers and research findings, aiming to further develop their ideas for a collaborative project - a book titled 'Space, Sustainability and Regionalism' in the Routledge book series 'Space Power and Politics'. The participants attended a session on the book's methodology, presented by Thomas HOERBER, head of the EU*Asia Institute and editor of the Routledge series. The workshop's objective with this book is to revive dynamics in this research area: Sustainability and Space in connection with European integration. The workshop emphasised the increasing importance of space research in addressing various ecological challenges.
The credo of the workshop was that cohesion in Europe is becoming increasingly important to cope with the growing number of challenges.