Orsolya Ferencz, the government commissioner for space research, said developing the space sector is an important task for the EU and it must withstand the competition with global actors such as China, India, the United States, Russia, Japan and the Arab states.
Ferencz told a conference held in the framework of a joint project of the Visegrad grouping (V4) in Budapest on Wednesday, that the EU has started to draft a common space law which will be put on the agenda during Poland's current six-month EU presidency.
She urged closer cooperation among the four Visegrad countries, Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, in science as well, arguing that the four countries together represent "a regional force" within the EU.
Hungary's government has adopted Hungary's space strategy, including the Hungarian in Orbit (HUNOR) program, designed to act as a catalyst for scientific achievements, she said.
She highlighted the importance of involving women in scientific research.
The event was organised in partnership with the Research Centre of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (SFPA), Poland's Casimir Pulaski Foundation, Czechia's Association for International Affairs (AMO) and Hungary's Equilibrium Institute with the aim to connect women working in the Visegrad countries in foreign affairs and security policy, she said.