Humans have shaped the world into parts according to their respective interests and are connecting these parts by building bridges according to mutual interests. Space is still a place without borders and is being used, though still too much rarely, as a laboratory of cooperation between different parts of the world. Among these different parts, the European Space Agency represents a laboratory of such laboratory of cooperation in space, based upon more than 50 years of daily cooperation between now 23 European countries. Based upon my personal experience accumulated during my 30 years at ESA, I can state that cooperation is always difficult but can be also successful when a few principles are respected as follows:

- a very few basic principles for all activities: peaceful purpose, no exchange of funds, governance.

- full flexibility: participation optional per project, not mandatory for all projects.

- full openness: participation open to all countries

- balance between mutual interests on the objectives and specific interests on the implementation: cooperation of interests and competition of ideas and solutions.

The last but not least: the importance of people in any cooperation. Principles are necessary but not enough, even more necessary are the people listening, understanding, sharing the risks in trusting their partners. The steps of the humans today making the sustainability of humanity for one thousand centuries and beyond!

2003年至2015年：任欧洲航天局（ESA）局长。

1970年-1985年：任职于法国国家航空航天研究院（ONERA），担任研究工程师（研究方向：火箭推进、微重力、空间系统）。

1986年-2015年：供职于欧洲航天局（ESA），历任空间站应用处处长，战略、规划与国际关系助理局长，战略与技术评估局局长，运载火箭局局长，以及局长等职务。

2016年至今：出任多家新兴航天企业的董事会成员。

此外，兼任多所工程院校及大学的教授/讲师。

Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA) from 2003 to 2015.

1970-1985: research engineer at the Office National d’Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales (rocket propulsion, microgravity, space systems)

1986-2015: ESA successively Head of the Space Station utilization, Associate Director for Strategy, Planning and International Relations, Director for Strategy and Technical Assessment, Director of Launchers and Director General.

2016- now: Board of several young space enterprises.

Professor and lecturer in several engineering schools and universities.