This year is a momentous year for European space activities, with a ministerial meeting scheduled for November
. Many programmatic decisions are required, not the least for Ariane. Yet there seem to be virtually no on
going discussions between partners regarding the future of Ariane, which
�everybody agrees is at the heart of the European space effort. The smaller states are eagerly waiting for the big three – France, Germany
�and Italy – to take the lead, but they seem to be preoccupied by their bilateral programs with other spacefaring nations rather than caring about Europe and European cooperation. Maybe the Ariane situation is symptomatic of a disease where the European focus on cooperative programs has been lost.
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