image credit: ESA/D. O’Donnell

Space law education in Europe
The EuropeanCentre For
Space Law (ECSL)

Alexander Soucek
Legal Officer, European Space Agency

Tokyo, 25 February 2019

Space law in Europe: a scattered landscape• All ESA Member States are States parties tothe Outer Space Treaty• Different legal traditions, different
political realities• National space laws on the rise
• Across Europe: space law teaching,outreach and education, legal practice2

The ECSL in a nutshell• Created under the auspices of theEuropean Space Agency in 1989
• No legal personality; ECSL Charter• Located at ESA HQ in Paris, France• Mandate: to promote knowledge,
awareness and development of thelegal framework relevant for spaceactivities.
3• Members: academics, students, lawyers and representatives
from industry, space agencies and IGOs…
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How the ECSL works• Administration and management: theECSL Executive Secretary (ESA, Paris)• Programmatic decision-making: theECSL Board (10 members and one
Student Representative)• The network across Europe: 17 National
Points of Contacts (ESA Member States)+ “Friends of the ECSL”
5National space laws in Europe• 11 ESA Member States havenational laws (in orange)• 3 other Member States haveregulatory acts, e.g. for liability orregistration only (in red)
• The rest have not as of yet adopted
national space law (in blue)
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ESA-ECSL Space Debris Workshop
19-21 March 2019, ESA ESOC, Germany

Objective: assist legislators, mission
designers and approving authorities inaddressing space debris in a coherent way
and according to best current practices• Day 1 – Regulation• Day 2 – Standards• Day 3 – Tools
Target participants: government, industry,
space agencies and IGO professionals
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IISL/ECSL Symposium
1 April 2019, United Nations, Vienna, Austria• Organised together with theInternational Institute for Space Law(IISL)• Taking place at the first day of theUN COPUOS Legal Subcommittee• Topic 2019: The 40th Anniversary of
the Moon Agreement• Target participants: COPUOS
delegates• Opportunity for ECSL members toparticipate at UN level8Practitioners Forum
25 April 2019, ESA ESTEC, The Netherlands• An ECSL Flagship event• to provide an opportunity to networkand discuss topical areas of spacelaw and policy relevant to the spacesector• Experts present on topics, followedby debate• Target participants: professionals

from the space sector, students,academics
9Young Lawyers Symposium
26 April 2019, ESA ESTEC, The Netherlands• An opportunity for young scholars andprofessionals to present a paper on aspace law-related topic:– discuss with the community– publish on ECSL website• Topics for 2019:1) The Future of the Moon Agreement
2) Commercial Mining of Celestial Bodies
3) Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites onthe Moon10

Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court
21-24 April 2019, Paris• ECSL organises theEuropean Rounds• New city and new
university every year
• ECSL sponsors Europeanwinners to world finals• World finals: IAC 2019,Washington (USA)11

ECSL Executive Course: Space Law and Regulations
2nd half of 2019, ESA ESTEC, the Netherlands• 3- day course for space professionals- regulating space activities- implementing space laws
• to facilitate expert discussions
relevant for the practical aspectsof regulating space activities

ECSL Summer Course on Space Law and Policy• An ECSL flagship event• 40-50 students fromacross Europe andbeyond• Two weeks, +/- 50 lectures, practice day, theme project• Free for students from, or studying in, ESA Member States
13Conclusion
Capacity
Capacity building and facilitatefor dialogue across sectors

Communication
Where Europe meets to discuss
space law

Community
Europe's network for space law

Cooperation
Reaching out to … Japan!
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