Roberta faced again the press, from the podium. She had another folder this time around, with the notes on the afternoon session. Just like before, she would first read a summary of the session, and then she would take questions from the press. Everyone was quiet, eager to hear what she had to say, so she braced herself, and went on with it.
“Good afternoon, and thank you again for being here. Just like this morning, I will read a short statement, and will then take questions.” She looked at the summary. “This afternoon, the heads of government discussed the various cooperation initiatives that are being developed within the framework of the Artemian Union. Most prominent were the various educational exchanges and scholarship programmes, and the progress made on the Green Initiative, the Green Development Goals and several other sustainable development programmes.” A short pause. “With that in mind, I will take some questions.”
“How is the progress with the Green Initiative?”
“We are very pleased with the progress that has been made. Here in Sartoria, the eolic and solar energy industries have grown at double digits for the ninth consecutive year, and we have data on similar results in our fellow member states. We are confident that the Iniciative, and most importantly the Green Development Goals, will be met, and hopefully we will ensure fully clean and renewable energy for future generations.”
“Will the Goals be reviewed, if they are met before 2025?”
“Sartoria is definitely open to reviewing the goals, should we reach them before 2025. It’s still too soon to say that we will, but our progress is very encouraging. At the very least, we will reach the goals within the time limit.”
“Part of the scandal that affected the previous Selenid government was the misuse of funds meant for international exchanges and scholarships. Will there be stricter controls on how those funds are used?”
“The heads of government had a discussion on the situation with the Passolides Scholarship, and they agreed that stricter controls are necessary. It’s possible that a commission will be formed to propose changes to the current system, but nothing is set in stone yet.”
“Has there been any progress in the elimination of student visas?”
“Sartoria is committed to the elimination of student visas within the Artemian Union. Already we have taken the unilateral step of eliminating the visa requirement for stays up to a semester, which form the bulk of student exchanges, and we look forward to a more comprehensive discussion among the foreign and education officials of the various member states.”
“Are there any concerns that relaxing visa policies will facilitate terrorism across borders?”
“Terrorists will always try to find a way, that doesn’t mean we should stop all our progress. We will continue to work towards a free and open international community, and part of that involves the relaxation of intra-Union visa policies. There will still be abundant security checks at all entry ports, but thus far, in the opinion of all our security experts, the relaxation of visa policies will not have a negative effect on our internal security.”
“Recently Sartoria launched a weather satellite on its own. Will the Artemian Space Agency will work as a single entity, or will the various member states work on their own?”
“We don’t believe both are mutually exclusive. Sartoria is committed to having a strong and technologically advanced Space Office, yet we still are very much committed to working with our Union partners to ensure that projects of a larger scope remain under the purview of the Artemian Space Agency.”
“Was that discussed this afternoon?”
“Yes. The heads of government have agreed to continue supporting the Agency, including the various programmes for the exploration of the space beyond Low Artemian Orbit. There has been fantastic progress in both the manned and unamanned projects, and we are confident that, with a boost in funding, we will have a manned test later this year, and hopefully a proper launch next year. An increase in funding will also allow us to continue supporting the unmanned exploration of the outer system, which is a major goal of the Agency.”
Again, a sign from an aide, indicating that they would be late for the welcome dinner. “Alright, one final question.”
“Are you sure we can’t go to the dinner?”
She smiled, as the others chuckled. “Sorry folks, I don’t make the rules. Thank you for being here, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”