Bremen to host the ESA Council at Ministerial Level in 2025

The European Space Agency (ESA) will hold its next Council at Ministerial Level in November 2025 in Bremen. This was announced by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). Bremen will follow Paris as the host city, where the previous Council at Ministerial Level took place in 2022. Cologne and Stuttgart were also in the running as potential hosts.

At the ESA Council at Ministerial Level, the highest decision-making body of the European Space Agency, government representatives from the 22 ESA member states meet. During the conference, which is held every three years, decisions are made on future European space projects and their funding. At the last conference in 2022, a budget of €16.9 billion was approved for space programmes. The event is expected to draw several hundred participants from around the world.

Mayor Dr Andreas Bovenschulte stated: “Aviation and space have a long tradition in Bremen, with 140 companies, an annual turnover of four billion euros, and 12,000 jobs. As a technological hub, Bremen is rightly Germany’s number one ‘Space City’. Hosting the ESA Council at Ministerial Level in 2025 is both an honour and a recognition. It is also an opportunity for the city to showcase its capabilities to the global public. My thanks go to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck, and the Federal Government Coordinator of Aerospace, Anna Christmann, for their efforts in securing the conference for Bremen.”

Kristina Vogt, Senator for Economic Affairs, Ports, and Transformation, said: “Space plays a key role in addressing central issues such as climate protection, communication, mobility, and security. This means that our daily lives and the development of modern society are now unimaginable without space technology. It holds great importance as a high-tech sector and driver of innovation, particularly in Bremen. The decision to host the ESA Council at Ministerial Level in Bremen is also a recognition of the city as a hub for aviation and space, its businesses, and its research institutions and their employees. At the same time, it is an incentive to continue fulfilling this role in the future. We will provide a fitting setting for the conference and use the opportunity to present Bremen as a key player in European space activities.”

The ESA coordinates and promotes the development of European space activities and ensures that the investments made by member states provide lasting benefits to all Europeans. At the last conference in Paris in 2022, Germany took over the chairmanship of the ESA Council from France and will therefore host the next conference in 2025. The German delegation will be led by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR).

Read more at: Pressestelle des Senats.