UNISPACE III PROCEEDINGS

Dumitru Dorin Prunariu

Space means globalization and integration by itself. The access to space opportunities means, first of all, the admission as an active participant to the efforts to maintain and develop the human civilization.

Development of aviation, astronomy and celestial mechanics, basic space science and some industrial background, as well as the relatively high level of education demonstrate some priorities in science and technology the Eastern European countries have had from the beginning of the century.

In the early days of space activities, international cooperation faced the challenges brought about by cold war tensions, which raised the fear among many States that space would become the next battleground. Yet international cooperation slowly emerged, beginning with bilateral cooperative programs for space science and exploration. One of the earliest efforts was the International Geophysical Year (July 1957 to December 1958), comprising a comprehensive series of global geophysical activities, including rocket and satellite research.

In the period of 1967-1989 close cooperation of the countries of Eastern Europe¹ with the former USSR was gradually established, based first on bilateral contacts and agreements between academies of sciences. On the basis of the "Agreement on Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes" signed in Moscow, on July 1976, and a number of other documents, an "Intercosmos" organization which coordinated national space research bodies emerged. The program came to cover studies of the physical properties of outer space, space meteorology, space biology and medicine, space communications and study of the environment by space devices.

A relative large number of space missions on satellites, sounding rockets, space stations and manned missions were developed in common, or by using the same standards. The groups of scientists from the participating countries were keeping each other still in contact and some of them have developed new researches in common on the base of bilateral agreements.

In the same time, understanding the necessity of global realization and use of satellite communications, in 1964 a group of 16 States established the interim International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (INTELSAT), which currently has more than 125 members. Numerous other international cooperative ventures followed, including the European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (EUTELSAT), the International Mobile Satellite Organization (Inmarsat) and the International Organization of Space Communications (INTERSPUTNIK). The Eastern European countries are active members of those organizations.

Development of meteorology and of remote sensing applications using space images characterized also the countries of Eastern Europe at the beginning of ‘70s.

As members of the United Nations system, the countries of Eastern Europe have actively taken part at the cooperative effort to better understand and use of the outer space.

In 1967, the Treaty on Principles Governing, the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and other Celestial Bodies (General Assembly resolution 2222 (XXI), annex), also known as the Outer Space Treaty, entered into force as a landmark in the development of principles regarding outer space activities.

The United Nations Programme on Space Applications was created as a result of the first United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, UNISPACE ‘68, and dedicated to assist developing countries in using space technology for development.

UNISPACE 82 reoriented the activities of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications to focus on the promotion of indigenous capabilities in the developing countries.

The legal agreements and principles adopted by the United Nations in the following 30 years continued to emphasize the desire of States to engage in international cooperation in such activities as the rescue of astronauts, direct television broadcasting and remote sensing, of Earth. Those efforts culminated in 1996 in the adoption of the Declaration on International Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for the Benefit and in the Interest of All States, Taking into Particular Account the Needs of Developing Countries (General Assembly resolution 51/122, annex).

They are many reasons for international cooperation. The most important are the political considerations, the scientific and technical aims and the economic motivations.

The profound political changes and subsequent economic transformations, which occurred in the countries of Eastern Europe during the 1990s, also had implications for the future of their space activities. The new governments were obliged to concentrate on the priority tasks of economic and social transformations. The existing research and technological teams faced a decrease in support from the new government authorities and felt the lack of an appropriate framework; both were necessary for the continuation of meaningful space activities.

Almost all the Eastern European countries at the beginning of ‘90s meet the following:

• are participants to relevant international treaties and agreements related to the peaceful uses of outer space;
• are participants to particular space science and applications high-level international programs;
• are members of COSPAR;
• some countries have long duration experience in the INTERCOSMOS organization;
• some countries have signed agreements of cooperation with the ESA;
• some countries have established their own national space agencies.

Since the very beginning of this new period, the countries of Eastern Europe considered the development of cooperation with the ESA to be particularly important. Previous ESA contacts with them were very scarce and mostly conducted in the framework of Intercosmos in the area of space science. Some contacts were carried on in the framework of COSPAR and the United Nations COPUOS. The progress in establishing a legal basis for such cooperation was favorably influenced by the conclusion of the intergovernmental Agreement between the ESA and the former USSR concerning "Cooperation in the Field of the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes" on April 1990.

The countries of Eastern Europe also started negotiating with the ESA, which concluded with them a series of bilateral agreements on cooperation. Agreements were signed with Government of the Republic of Hungary, on April 1991, with Government of Romania, on December 1992, with Government of the Republic of Poland, on January 1994, and with Government of the Czech Republic, on November 1996. Similar agreements were concluded with Greece and Portugal.

The conclusion of bilateral agreements has favored the creation of national space agencies (e.g., Hungarian Space Office, Romanian Space Agency) to take charge of cooperation, the deployment of national budgets devoted to space activities and the definition of priorities. On ESA’s side, Council agreed in 1992 a set of principles and procedures to govern cooperation with countries in Central and Eastern Europe and approved a special line for cooperation with these countries in the international relations budget.

The bilateral cooperation agreements cover a number of areas and define cooperation mechanisms: exchange of information, joint pilot projects, training activities and support to experts to participation in European events. A number of practical mechanisms include participation in ESA’s existing scientific networks and Announcements of Opportunities, and use of ESA’s databases.

In the field of applications, cooperation on remote sensing is the most developed. Joint pilot projects for the utilization of data from the ESA ERS mission were agreed in the field of environment and risk management. The ESA supported the national Polish and Czech activities carried out after flooding in the 1997 summer. Radar data from ESA’s missions have also been integrated in ongoing European Commission activities in this region on agricultural statistics and land cover.

The CORINE program has been implemented by the European Commission to collect, co-ordinate and diffuse environmental information. For the countries of Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic), the CORINE information system is funded by the PHARE Program.

In telecommunications the cooperation has covered testing and validation of technology developed by in countries in Central and Eastern Europe. A network of VSATs (Very Small Aperture Terminals) was tried out in Poland and Romania. A telemedicine network was established across Bosnia, Albania, Romania and Italy, with ESA’s support for the experimental phase.

The ESA in close cooperation with the European Commission and other international organizations such as the FAO, runs regional training courses for decision-makers and hosts experts from the region at its technical establishments, both with its own founds, and trough the Commission training and mobility program.

At the level of the countries of Eastern Europe training courses and workshops have been also run, and pilot projects have been defined and carried out. Many activities have been planned and executed having the additional advantage of UN involvement.

Close cooperation is always sought on any type of cooperative action with ESA’s Member States and with other relevant organizations like the European Commission, CERN, EUREKA, COST (European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research), the Council of Europe, Eutelsat, and the Central European Initiative.

An excellent opportunity of participating in an ESA optional program is offered by PRODEX. This program, open for a subscription by non-ESA States, focuses on activities in the areas of space science, Earth observation and micro gravity. Hungary signed recently the agreement with the ESA for participating ill PRODEX program, the Rosetta mission and Earth observation activities. The Czech Republic is also on the way to conclude an agreement for participating, in PRODEX program. An ESA evaluation mission regarding the same program visited last year Romania.

The exchange of information on ESA’s working mechanisms and programs could be improved, and an increased involvement of companies from the countries of Eastern Europe as subcontractors to Member State firms could be fostered. ESA’s Member States have expressed their political interest in the region. Finally, cooperation could be improved troughs the utilization of ESA’s technical infrastructures and training facilities.

The Central European Initiative (CEI) is another intergovernmental forum for concertation and cooperation, non-institutional and flexible, based on political decisions rather than international agreements. The Initiative’s activities are governed by the "Guidelines for Activities and Rules of Procedure" adopted by the CEI Summit in Warsaw, in October 1995. Today CEI-members comprise two EU members (Austria and Italy), also the ESA members, and seven candidates for EU membership, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, as well as seven countries which are not candidates for EU membership, Albania, Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, FYROM, Moldova and Ukraine.

The purpose of the CEI space program CESAR (Central European Satellite for Advanced Research) is "to design, develop, integrate, launch and operate a small satellite for scientific and application purposes". Under Italian leadership, the program also involves Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine. The launch was initially proposed for the year 2000.

With regard to space and the European Union, the EC recognizes that space has not only scientific but also strategic and economic dimensions. Acquiring knowledge and an expertise trough the ESA, the critical point now is "putting space to work". The need for collaboration between the ESA and the EC was expressed in December 1996 in the communication from the EC to the Council and the European Parliament entitled "The European Union and Space: fostering applications, markets and industrial competitiveness". Space contributes both to the industrial competitiveness of Europe and to improvements in the quality of life for its citizens, and these are the main reasons why the EU cannot be indifferent to space developments. Telecommunications, navigation and positioning systems, and Earth observation are the initiatives to be coordinated with those of the EU Member States and those of the ESA, in order to obtain, within European Union rules, the maximum degree of flexibility and synergy at the European level.

The countries of Eastern Europe have to be associated with European initiatives. Both the ESA and the EU have concluded agreements with these countries. One of the various ways to collaborate is participation in the Research and Technological Development (RTD) Framework Program. The other possibilities of cooperation with the countries of Eastern Europe or New Independent States are participation in COST, a broad framework for scientific and technical cooperation, or in EUREKA, which is more oriented toward industrial cooperation. There are also specific agreements, between EC and the countries of Eastern Europe, i.e., INCO-Copernicus.

The role of countries of Eastern Europe is being taken -into account in the preparatory phase of the Fifth Framework R&D program of European Union, due to start in 1999. The financial support to be granted by the European Union and the various pre-accession policies are still under discussion and should he substantial, starting from the year 2000.

In the 20" century, humanity has made significant progress in the development and use of space science and technology for social and economic progress. At the threshold of a new millennium, the global human community is faced with challenges to its sustainable development and is also presented with significant opportunities for scientific and socio-economic progress. Global cooperation in space sciences and technology can help meet those challenges and opportunities.

The United Nations has accorded significant importance to the promotion of greater international collaboration in attaining these goals.

The states of Eastern Europe being part of COPUOS from the very beginning, actively take part at the elaboration and implementation of various Initiatives, as the UN Program on Space Applications and the Network of Space Science and Technology Institutions.

Regarding the third UNISPACE conference, to be held in Vienna from July 19-30, 1999 under the theme "Space Benefits for Humanity on the Twenty-First Century", the Member States are actively working on the preparation of this important event.

Some of the topics under discussion at this Regional Preparatory Conference on UNISPACE III for Eastern Europe should refer to the:

• implementation of the recommendations of the UN Program on Space Applications;
• ways means for the development of significant common space science and applications projects in the region;
• means to promote a higher collaboration of the countries with the European Space Agency;
• methods to improve the applications of space technology to socio-economic fields of regional interest;
• suggestions and proposals for some specific space projects to be developed in common by the countries in the region;

However, they are still many issues and concerns regarding the involvement of the countries of Eastern Europe in the space activities. This are:

• the absence in many countries of efficient space policies;
• the lack in many countries of S&T awareness, including space S&T and its applications by national policy makers;
• lack of appropriate infrastructure to optimize available indigenous expertise and skill;
• lack in some countries of new qualified trainers and educators;
• lack of appropriate materials and tools in established education and training institutions;
• inadequate funding to promote the understanding and utilization of space applications;
• lack of regional collaboration and coordination in many aspects of science and technology.

According to this issues and concerns some recommendations are to be taken into consideration:

• scientific and technical policies of the countries of Eastern Europe countries should integrate optimal use of space technology tools towards socio-economic development;
• utilization of space application for educational purposes should focus on developing educators and trainers who would be in a better position to prepare appropriate curricula for flexible learning, and continuing education;
• with the aid of new information technologies, member States should actively participate in the exchange of experiences and knowledge in complementary sectors by creating networks of specialists within regions or countries;
• the network of Centers for space science and technology education allows flexibility to evolve to the actual needs of the region. It prevents duplication of efforts and facilitates uniformity in training. It provides also expertise that may not be existent in one particular country and can be shared;
• the United Nations should establish a special UN-OOSA fund to assist in the implementation of the recommendations of UNISPACE III.

Taking into account the needs, opportunities, efforts and results regarding space cooperation at the international level of the countries of Eastern Europe we could conclude that with the development of regional and international cooperation in the field of science and technology, including, the space ones, Europe is perhaps paving the way for a "new renaissance" at the dawn of the 21^st century.