The Alternate Minister was welcomed and shown around the Agency’s premises by the Executive Director, Mr. Rodrigo da Costa, who briefed him on the EUSPA’s work and activities.
Following that, Mr. Varvitsiotis met and discussed with the Agency’s Greek staff members. “I came to realize how many remarkable people from Greece provide high-quality services in important positions in the EU”, he said.
The Alternate Minister was accompanied by the Ambassador of Greece to the Czech Republic, Mr. Athanassios Paressoglou, and the Deputy Permanent Representative of Greece to Brussels (COREPER I), Mr. Ioannis Ghikas.
“Europe is a pioneer in space, having developed satellite systems that provide us with high-precision services that no member state could provide on its own”, said Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, visiting the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) headquarters in Prague today.
In particular, Mr. Varvitsiotis – who is accompanying the Prime Minister to the Informal EU Summit in Prague – stated that the Copernicus and Galileo space programs provide a wide range of services for road traffic, maritime safety, agriculture, fire prevention and suppression, as well as communications security. He underlined that Greece makes the best use of these services, not only during summer with the wildfires but also on a daily basis in applications related to border security and rescue at sea.
