The European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) signed an agreement to work together on satellite-based services that can bridge the digital divide and bring economic growth to the Mediterranean region.

ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain and EIB Vice President Philippe de Fontaine Vive Curtaz, signed an agreement called 'Space for Mediterranean Initiative' with the aim at working together so that satellite-based services can bridge the digital divide and bring economic growth to the Mediterranean region. Recently, ESA's Mars Express mission welcomed NASA's Curiosity rover.

ESA and LuxInnovation, the Luxembourg National Agency for Innovation and Research, have created a new Ambassador Platform, located at the European Investment Bank. The platform will focus on how space can improve key infrastructure areas in the Mediterranean regions, particularly for water management, energy, transportation and logistics. The objective is to develop projects in partnership, ensuring that the services proposed are sustainable in an operational scenario.

The two organisations will develop together new operational and economically sustainable services. The EIB assists the economic and social development of partner countries in the South and East Mediterranean. On ESA’s side, the Integrated Applications Promotion (IAP) Programme has created a network of Ambassador Platforms (APs) who promote space applications to a broad range of new domains. They bring space solutions to user communities who are not aware of the benefits that space technologies can bring to them. Ambassador Platforms exist for areas like eHealth (with Norway), enhanced mobility (United Kingdom), renewable energy (Spain), water management (Netherlands) and many others.