On 8 June 2023, the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Commission in partnership with the European Space Agency, and the Swedish National Space Agency invites you to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Copernicus, the EU’s Earth Observation flagship. ‘Europe’s eyes on Earth’ started in 1998 with the signature of the Baveno Manifesto, as an idea for a programme to monitor the environment. Initially known as the Global Monitoring for Environmental Security (GMES), the programme was designed to furnish valuable data that could assist in various aspects of public policy such as understanding and mitigating the effects of climate change and ensure civil security.

Since then, Copernicus has exceeded expectations and become one of the most ambitious and successful Earth Observation programme worldwide. With seven Copernicus Sentinel satellites in orbit, in addition to contributing missions, in situ sensors, and numerical models, terabytes of free and open data and information services are provided daily to hundreds of thousands of users. Copernicus has also generated significant economic benefits and supports tens of thousands of jobs. These success stories will be the highlight of the event, which will put the spotlight on the users of Copernicus.

The celebrations will take place in Stockholm, but that’s not the only spot to get in on the fun. We are taking the festivities to several locations across Europe, including Toulouse, Brussels, and Bologna.

Brace yourselves for a stellar event, hosted by the European Commission, under the auspices of the Swedish presidency, this high-level gathering will feature live speakers from all over Europe. For those who cannot make it to the Launchpad, fear not – a livestream will transport you to the action in real-time.