European Centre for Space Law

The European Centre for Space Law (ECSL) was established in 1989 at the initiative of the European Space Agency and with the support of a number of pioneers in this field. Members of ECSL include professionals working in the space sector, lawyers, university professors and students. The Centre provides a forum for all those wishing to take part in constructive debates on outer space law and policy at large and encourages interdisciplinary exchange between members.

Contact information

European Centre for Space Law – ECSL

European Center for Space Law
ECSL – c/o ESA
8/10 rue Mario-Nikis
F-75738 Paris Cedex 15

Tel: +33 (0) 1 53 69 73 53
Fax: +33 (0) 1 53 69 77 39
Website: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ECSL/
Mail: ecsl@esa.int

The team

Contacts Resume Speciality
Philippe Achilleas
Member of the ECSL board
philippe.achilleas@idest-paris.org
Prof. Philippe Achilleas is the Director of the Institute of Space and Telecommunications Law (IDEST). He has published a number of books and journals in the field of international law, space law and telecommunication law. Prof. Achilleas is also part of the French Delegation to the UN COPUOS, and have been involved in numerous government and industry studies.
  • Space Law;
  • Telecommunication and Media Law
Frans G. Von Der Dunk
Member of the ECSL board
fvonderdunk2@unl.edu
Prof. Frans G. von der Dunk is the Harvey and Susan Perlman Alumni / Othmer Professor of Space Law at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s LL.M. Programme on Space and Telecommunication Law. He also is Director of Black Holes BV, Consultancy in space law and policy, based in Leiden. Prof. Von der Dunk has served as adviser to the Dutch Government, several foreign Governments, the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA), the United Nations (UN), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Dutch National Aerospace Agency (NIVR), the German Space Agency (DLR), the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), the Association of Space Explorers (ASE) and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), as well as various companies.
Christian Brünner
Member of the ECSL board
Tel: +433163800
Fax: +43 316 380-9030
christian.bruenner@uni-graz.at
Christian Brünner since 1980 is Full Professor at the Department for Austrian, European and Comparative Public Law, Political Sciences and Public Administration, University of Graz. He founded in 2001 the National Point of Contact (NPOC) in Austria of the European Center for Space Law (ECSL). Since 2006 he is member of IISL (International Institute of Space Law), Paris. His research currently focuses on: “Outer Space – An Ever Growing Issue in Society and Politics”. He has been member of the ECSL board since 2003.
  • Space Law
  • European and National Legislation
Marco Ferrazzani
Member of the ECSL board
Tel: +33 (0)153697353
Fax: +33 (0)153697739
ecsl@esa.int
Marco Ferrazzani is Head of the ESA Legal Department responsible to provide the legal competences to the Agency. Legal advice ranges from the interpretation of the ESA Convention and Rules and Regulations to working on the legal and programmatic set-up of its programmes, contributing to the ESA policy and negotiating international agreements. He has regularly provided legal advice in multilateral discussions and drafted proposals for decisions of Member States to commit space programmes in Europe and in co-operation with other space agencies, international organisations and Governments or institutions of non-member States.
  • European Public Administration
  • Space Law
Stephan Hobe
Member of the ECSL board
Tel: +221 4702337
Fax: +221 4702337
Secretariat-Hobe@uni-koeln.de
Stephan Hobe is Professor for German Public Law, European Law and Public International Law and Director of the Institute of Air and Space Law, University of Cologne. Member of the Commission on Transport and Logistics of the International Chamber of Commerce. Rapporteur, Space Law  Committee of International Law Association (ILA). Board of Directors of the International Institute of Space Law. Editor of the German Journal of Air and Space Law (ZLW) and of the Series “Studies in Air and Space Law“.
  • Space Law
  • International Law
Armel Kerrest
ECSL Vice Chairman
Tel: +33 (0)298016609
Fax: +33 (0)298016609
armel.kerrest@univ-brest.fr
Armel Kerrest teaches public law, especially international space law at the Universities of Western Brittany, Paris XI and Aix-Marseille III. He is Head of the Public Law Department of the University of Western Brittany. Chairman of the Institute of Law of International Spaces and Telecommunications. President of the Association for the Development of Space Law in France. Member of the International Academy of Astronautics. Corresponding member of the Académie Nationale de l’Air et de l’Espace.  Member of the board of the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL) and of the Société francaise de droit aérien et spatial (SFDAS).
  • Space Law
  • International Law
Sergio Marchisio
ECSL Chairman
Tel: +39 0649937667
Fax: + 39 0644340025
sergio.marchisio@uniroma1.it
Sergio Marchisio (Italy) is Full Professor of International Law at the University Sapienza of Rome. Since 2007 he is Chairman of the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL). Member of the Italian delegation to the UNCOPUOS, he served as Chairman of the Legal Subcommittee (2004-2006). Representative of the Italian government in a number of international conferences, he acts as Legal Expert of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2002 to 2011 he chaired the Committee of Governmental Experts entrusted to negotiate the UNIDROIT Space Assets Protocol to the 2001 Cape Town Convention. Italian delegate  to the CODUN  Space EU’s Council, in 2010 he was appointed as Member of the Task Force of the EEAS-EU on the draft Code of Conduct for Space Activities.
  • Space Law
  • Legal Aspects of Disarmament and Non Proliferation
Sarah Moens
Board Member
sarahmj.moens@gmail.com
Sarah Moens is a lawyer at DLA Piper in Belgium. She focuses on space law, drones law, telecommunications law and public law.

Furthermore, she is co-founder and president of beSPACE, an association for young space students and professionals in Belgium.

She obtained her law degree, magna cum laude, at Ghent University. She focused on space law and telecommunications law (Droit des Activités Spatiales et des Télécommunications) at Université Paris-Sud XI. She is currently completing a Ph.D. at Ghent University in space law.

  • Space law
  • Drones law
  • Telecommunications law
  • Public law
Dr. Maria-del Carmen Munoz Rodriguez
mcrodri@ujaen.es
Dr. María-del-Carmen Muñoz-Rodríguez has been an associate professor in Public International Law and EU Law at the University of Jaén, Spain, since 1996. In addition to this, she has been heavily involved in a number of studies and projects and has contributed to several ECSL events including lecturing on the ECSL Summer Course on Space Law and Policy and judging the Manfred Lachs Moot Court competition.

Dr. Muñoz-Rodríguez is a member of a number of distinguished institutions including the ECSL, Spanish Centre for Space Law, the International Institute for Space Law, the Spanish Association of Professors of International Law and International Relations (AEPDIRI) and the European Society for International Law (ESIL).

  • Space Law
  • Public International Law
Frans von der Dunk
Member of the ECSL board
Tel: (402)472-1240
Fax: (402)472-1240
fvonderdunk2@unl.edu
Frans G. von der Dunk is the Harvey and Susan Perlman Alumni/Othmer Professor of Space Law at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s LL.M. Programme on Space and Telecommunication Law.  He also is Director of Black Holes BV, Consultancy in space law and policy, based in Leiden. Previously, he was Co-Director, then Director of Space Law Research at the International Institute of Air and Space Law at Leiden University since 1990. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Award of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) in Vancouver, in October 2004, and the Social Science Award of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) in Valencia, in October 2006.
  • Space Law
  • European and National Legislation