ABSTRACT
Europe has had several space policies. The first national initiatives were integrated in the European Space Research Organisation and the European Launcher Development Organisation in the 1960s. The European Space Agency subsumed their activities from the mid-1970s. Foreign relations have always played a role in the development of a European space policy. The debate on a European space policy has been dominated for at least the last decade by institutional considerations on how best to organise the development of that policy. Space infrastructure has allowed Europe to contribute to solutions to global challenges, such as sustainable development. It has also improved the management of many sectorial policies including agriculture, environment, transport, disaster management, migration and security not just within Europe, but also outside. The chapter analyses the ways the European Union is engaged in space, with regard to other policy fields, such as foreign policy, the single market, and sustainable development.
