The SEF provides expertise and analysis on international and European policies across a wide range of areas, including but not limited to the four focus areas of the project, Biodiversity and Ecosystems; Carbon, Energy, and the Green Transition; the Sustainable Development Goals; and Food Systems. This includes policies at the European Union Level, and particularly those linked to the European Green Deal, as the success of such legislation relies heavily on space-based services and solutions for assessing climate variables.

The SEF also takes note of other EU initiatives and funding mechanisms that will affect the overall landscape and create opportunities for the EO sector, including the Strategic Foresight initiative, and projects under the Horizon Europe umbrella, among others.

At the international level, there is a range of environmental agreements under the United Nations umbrella, including the UN 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, or the Convention on Biological Diversity. Relevant policy examples coming from other multilateral fora such as the African Union have also been taken into consideration in connection to the relations between European stakeholders and those outside of Europe.  

The goal of the SEF team is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the policy landscape concerning each of the four themes. In addition to compiling the database of policies, key actors and stakeholders in the policy landscape have been identified. This includes highlighting key stakeholder needs, recognising relevant actions and initiatives underway, and pointing out possible funding instruments. Additionally, mentions of a recommended or a required use of EO capabilities within these policies as well as potential opportunities for EO in the policy landscape have been highlighted. Finally, ad hoc policy analysis has been conducted on a variety of topics and policies of interest or of specific relevance to the SEF project and the EO applications community.

A preliminary version of the Stakeholder and Policy Mapping Tool (also known as SEFMAP) is now available, which is only accessible for ESA SEF Team and ESA Technical Officers.