In 2024, the Luxembourgish Parliament has the honor of chairing the European Interparliamentary Space Conference (EISC) under the theme "Legislating Space – A Commercial Affair?"
Dr. Gérard Schockmel, EISC-Delegation leader, is the Chairman of the Higher Education, Research and Digitalisation Committee, Deputy Chairman of the Health and Social Security Committee, and Member of 4 other committees.
Franz Fayot, was a MP for the LSAP/Socialists from October 2013 until February 2020, and was the chairman of the Economy and Space commission and rapporteur in 2017 of the law on commercial space mining. Additionally, he served as the Minister of Economy responsible for the development of the space sector from February 2020 until November 2023.
Dr. Tom Weidig, vice-president of the Alternative-Democratic Reform Party (ADR), which is a member of The European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR) and is a member of committees related to science & technology, space, digitalisation, and economical affairs. He also chairs the accounting committee.
François Bausch, MP for the Luxembourg Green Party. In December 2013 he was appointed as Minister of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure. After the 2018 elections, he became Minister of Mobility and Public Works, and then Minister of Defence and Homeland Security. He became Deputy Prime Minister in October 2019.
Sven Clement, co-founder of the Pirate Party of Luxembourg and focuses on digital rights, government transparency, and civil liberties, alongside a keen interest in finance and international cooperation and development. Clement played a pivotal role in the Pirate Party's historic entry into the Luxembourgish Parliament in 2018.
Octavie Modert, presently serving as a Member of Parliament, she is also Vice-President of the Culture Committee, of the Committee of Economy and SMEs, and of the Luxembourg delegation to the Council of Europe. Additionally, she is a member of Agriculture Committee, Higher Education and Research Committee, Institutions Committee and Regulations Committee, and is a member of the Christian-Social Party CSV.
Carole Hartmann , has been a member of Parliament since 2018, secretary general of the Democratic Party since June 2022 and she became mayor of her hometown municipality of Echternach in July 2023. The former national table tennis player and young mother is a lawyer by profession. As a member of various parliamentary commissions, she is particularly committed to an efficient justice system, a sustainable economy, and the provision of strong health care services for all citizens.
It is with great pleasure that the Luxembourg Parliament chairs the European Interparliamentary Space Conference (EISC) for the first time in 2024.
The Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies became a full EISC member in 2010. Since then, many of its members had the privilege of participating in the two annual EISC events, i.e. the workshop and the General Assembly. The various topics that were covered over the last years certainly provided us with fruitful discussions and illuminating insights. To maintain the high standards set by our predecessors, we chose a topic with which most parliamentarians already are familiar with - but not necessarily the angle we want to look at it from.
We invite you to join us in Luxembourg from the 24th until the 26th of March 2024 to participate in the annual EISC workshop which will examine the following question: “Legislating Space – a commercial affair?”. Field experts along with leading scholars in space law will discuss the international, regional as well as national legal frameworks regulating space.
This year’s workshop will be the perfect occasion for participants to deepen their knowledge regarding the most important international and regional space legislation and their latest developments. Since national legal frameworks will also be discussed, the workshop will promote mutual understanding of the respective national policies and the national legal frameworks concerning space legislation, or absence thereof.
Participants of the workshop will also get the chance to discover the premises of one of the actors most concerned with the national legal framework of Luxembourg. During a field trip on the second day of the workshop, we will visit the headquarters of SES, the world’s leading content connectivity provider which owns over 70 satellites.
For those who wish to extend their stay in Luxembourg and further invest themselves in the fascinating topic of space, we can recommend the space resources week 2024, which will also take place in Luxembourg from 25th to 27th of March. (https://www.spaceresourcesweek.lu/)
Furthermore, we are keen to see you back in Luxembourg for the Plenary Session from September 22nd to September 24th, 2024. Further details will be communicated in due time.
We hope that the Luxembourgish presidency will not only enable parliamentarians to tackle major challenges when it comes to ratification of and compliance with international space law but also give them a general overview and understanding of the legal frameworks and space policies in place in the different EISC member States.
The links below are conference materials from both the workshop and the plenary session under the Austrian Presidency in 2023
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Legislating Space – A Commercial Affair?
The next EISC workshop will take place on 25 March 2024.
The EISC Workshop will take place on the sides of the Space Resources Week 2024. EISC Members are kindly invited to also attend the Space Resource Week at the European Convention Center from 25-27 March 2024. The Space Resource Week aims to “strengthen the foundation on which the field of space resources is built, align the scientific and commercial needs and capabilities, and collectively develop a sustainable space resources architecture for the future.
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