The Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, as well as the Delegated Authority for Space and Aerospace Policies, Adolfo Urso, met at Palazzo Piacentini with the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher. Also present at the meeting was the President of the Italian Space Agency, Teodoro Valente.

At the center of the discussion was the upcoming ESA Ministerial scheduled for November 26-27 in Bremen—a strategic milestone for defining Europe’s priorities in Space—and the possible role of Italy as the chairman country of the Ministerial Council.

"Italy confirms its leading role in Europe’s Space sector, ready to guarantee the utmost commitment in preparing an effective and inclusive conference by initiating a continuous dialogue with other member states and ESA’s management, aiming to strengthen the Agency’s governance and efficiency", reads a ministerial statement. Among the topics addressed during the meeting was the overall financial commitment expected for the 2025 Ministerial (CM25), estimated at around 23 billion euros: an amount that will require careful evaluation in terms of overall sustainability.

The importance of space exploration as a strategic domain was also emphasized, where international cooperation plays a central role. In this context, the recent developments coming from Washington—heralding a renewed commitment by NASA, the American space agency, to ESA programs—were welcomed.

Finally, Minister Urso informed Aschbacher about his recent conversation with the new German Minister for Space, Dorothee Bär, during which the opportunity to continue bilateral dialogue on ESA relations and the upcoming Bremen Ministerial was shared. On this occasion, Urso announced an official visit to Berlin scheduled for July 21.