Administrative arrangement with the Philippine Space Agency in the area of Earth observation

On June 29^th 2023, the European Commission and the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) have signed an administrative arrangement to strengthen and stimulate cooperation in the area of Earth observation. The arrangement will facilitate the reciprocal exchange of satellite data and will encourage its use and application in addressing societal challenges of common interest, ranging from the long-term management of natural resources, monitoring of marine and coastal areas, water resource management, mitigating the impacts on climate, disaster risk reduction, food security, rural development, and public health.

Under this arrangement, the PhilSA intends to set up a data hub to distribute Copernicus Sentinel data and information across the region, as well as to support pilot projects using Copernicus. The arrangement will serve as a basis for the implementation of a Copernicus capacity-building programme for the Philippines, funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA).

This cooperation arrangement is part of the Copernicus global outreach strategy which aims to promote the take-up of Copernicus data and its services in tackling societal challenges worldwide through cooperation arrangements with partner countries. So far, the European Commission has signed similar arrangements with administrations in the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Panama, India, the African Union, Serbia, and Ukraine.

For more information, read here.