FDEF doctoral researcher and member of the SES Chair and DTU REMS II Unit Antonino Salmeri is pursuing his doctoral degree in space law with the support of the Luxembourg National Research Fund and under the supervision of Prof. Mahulena Hofmann. A qualified attorney with an extensive professional background in space law, Antonino is studying the regulatory and enforcement challenges of space mining and is personally involved in international and collaborative efforts to establish space resources and lunar governance principles.
In June 2020, in agreement with the leadership of Space Generation Advisory Council, Antonino founded the Action Team on Effective and Adaptive Governance for a Lunar Ecosystem (E.A.G.L.E. Team). This international and interdisciplinary group of 14 young space law professionals from 10 countries was established to be the voice of young generations for the peaceful and sustainable development of the Moon. Over the course of one year, the EAGLE Team has studied the lunar legal and policy landscape in order to develop the position and proposals of the young generations. Ultimately, the Team produced a comprehensive and innovative Lunar Governance Report, accompanied by an Executive Summary and a Lunar Manifesto. On the 12th of May 2021, SGAC officially endorsed the documents produced by the EAGLE Team and has publicly released them online.
The EAGLE Report presents a unique assessment of the lunar policy landscape, based upon a comprehensive series of 21 interviews with various stakeholders from the global space community, such as space agencies, companies and universities. Based upon the comprehensive analysis conducted, the EAGLE Report advances an innovative proposal from the young generations for the future regulation of the Moon: the development of a Lunar Governance Charter. This instrument would act as an intermediate framework operationalising the fundamental principles of international space law and harmonising the incremental development of new norms for peaceful and sustainable lunar activities.
Consistently with the practice of international space law, the EAGLE Team suggests that a Lunar Governance Charter should be the result of a multilateral process established within the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS). At the same time, in light of the critical importance of the Moon for all humanity, the multilateral process in COPUOS should integrate the results of a global, intergenerational and multi-stakeholder dialogue on the regulation of lunar activities.
On 3 June 2021, Antonino formally presented the proposals laid down in the Report to the Legal Subcommitee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. The Report has been welcomed by many delegations as a serious and substantive contribution to the work of the Committee.
“The EAGLE’s Lunar Governance Report is the first document in the history of international space law presenting a unified position on behalf of the young generations at the United Nations. We are glad that the work of the EAGLE Team has been positively received by the COPUOS Legal Subcommittee and look forward to continue working for the peaceful and sustainable development of our dearest Moon,” commented Antonino.
Pursuing a career in Space Law with FDEF
The Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance in parternship with the SES Chair offers a two-year LL.M. in Space, Communication and Media Law that covers areas on international, European and national level. It equips students with essential theoretical, practical and analytical skills to excel in the fast-paced legal world of a continuously developing field.
The programme will prepare students for employment opportunities in national regulatory agencies, ministries for telecommunication and media, private companies active in the media and telecommunication sector, law firms, international organisations dealing with space communication and development and aid institutions. The LLM. In Space, Communication, and media Law also provides a springboard for further academic studies at PhD-level.
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