Established in 1999, the European Inter-parliamentary Space Conference (EISC) fosters cooperation between national parliaments in Europe and an on-going dialogue on space policy issues. It also supports the efforts of national governments and the European Institutions with a view to develop a common European Space Policy. Since January 1st 2013, the Belgian Senate has taken over the Presidency of the 15th EISC. Since its establishment in 1999 the Belgian Senate has chaired the EISC two times, i.e. in 2001 and in 2006. I already want to thank the previous successful Polish Presidency from 2012 and the promising upcoming French Presidency of 2014 for their consultation and support this year.

In 2013 the Belgian Senate had the ambitious objectives dedicated to students and their interest for space education, which have been the transversal theme during the whole Belgian Presidency.

The conference focused on a better matching of space education on the challenging needs of the space industry. Considering the increasing shortage of qualified young aerospace scientists, engineers and technicians, the Belgian Presidency would like to share, along with its European partners, the success stories and best practices that have been noted in this field. The Plenary session on October 14th and 15th in the Belgian Senate, in Brussels, provided the opportunity to discuss this theme further and particularly hear from young professionals and students about their experiences on this topic.

The Plenary Session in Brussels in October 2013 has been especially dedicated to education for space, with questions such as: how can we enhance the interest of upcoming talents towards space studies? How can we put students at the centre of an industrial project? How can we find a way to inspire them to go into a space career?

As you know a constant effort is required to train and recruit new talent for the space sector. It is crucial that we inspire young people to take up careers in a sector that spans such a broad range of skills.