The European Union expansion into to space, as well as the promotion of scientific research for space in general have always been imperative targets. The rational exploitation of space is connected with an enormous range of sectors in our planet, such as television, telecommunications, financial systems, climate change, health, unemployment, defence, security, energy management, meteorology, the monitoring of the atmosphere and the marine environment, environmental protection, natural resources management, industrial competitiveness, air and maritime navigation, railways, agriculture, biotechnology, recycling, forestry, the confrontation of disasters, the danger signals, the rescue operations, the political protection, the cases of crises or emergency, the traffic, transport, urban planning and tourism.

The objective of this book is on the one hand to critically analyze how the European Union has managed to put space in the service of its citizens and on the other hand to offer the reader the opportunity to draw conclusions regarding the degree of success, existing difficulties and future prospects.