On March 24th and 25th, 2025, in Paris, the Centre d’Analyse et de Prévision des Risques internationaux (CAPRI), organized the Symposium “The Transformation of the Space Sector in Europe: Issues and Challenges”.
In line with CAPRI’s mission to facilitate dialogue between decision-makers and experts and to help shape the strategic choices of tomorrow, particularly in the fields of defence and technology, this Symposium focused on four main drivers shaping the transformation of Europe’s space sector:
- New international dynamics and their impact on space;
- The evolving role of the defence sector in and for space;
- The competitiveness and financing of European industry;
- The governance model required to address the challenges of this transformation.
Participation was limited to senior representatives from European institutions, industry, and academia active in the space sector. Given the restricted number of attendees and the choice to maintain an informal – yet authoritative – discussion under Chatham House rules, the Heads of Europe’s Space Agencies and Delegations at the European Space Agency (ESA) Council did not take part in the Round Tables.
Following the two half-days of discussions, and as a follow-up to these exchanges, CAPRI decided to conduct individual consultations with selected Heads of National Delegations at ESA’s Council. These interviews were conducted in order to gather additional, and varied perspectives, such as those of countries that are not members of the European Union and/or NATO, as well as on those with differing geographical perspectives regarding the current geopolitical context, and especially the Russo-Ukrainian War: Finland, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
These follow-up consultations addressed three main themes:
- International cooperation;
- Defence;
As a synthesis of these various initiatives, CAPRI is publishing two exclusive reports:
- A Synthesis of discussions held at the 2025 Space Symposium;
- A Special Report following the focused individual consultations.
If you have any inquiries regarding these reports and CAPRI activities, please write us at contact@capri-fr.org