Press Release: Copernicus: The EU Earth Observation Programme – good for jobs and the environment!

In a world facing an increased risk of natural and other disasters the new Copernicus programme will ensure the regular observation and monitoring of the atmosphere, oceans, and continental surfaces, providing reliable, validated and guaranteed information to support a broad range of environmental and security applications and decisions. At the same time, it is a driver for economic growth, encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises to develop user-driven services - thereby creating growth and jobs in a sector of the economy that is clearly future-oriented.

Therefore, the European Commission on 29 May 2013 proposed the new earth observation programme called Copernicus, with a budget of €3.786 bn for the period 2014 – 2020. This amount will be needed to pay for the development, launch and operations of a series of satellites (the 'Sentinels') and to establish six operational services which will transform satellite imagery into readily usable information products.

• Primary Source

European Commission: Rapid: MEMO/13/478: Copernicus – monitoring our earth from space, good for jobs, good for the environment http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-478_en.htm

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