The first visitor of the New Year from a federal institution was welcomed to EOC already on January 9. Dr. Wolfgang Scheremet, head of Department IV at the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs, carries responsibility for industrial policy as well as aeronautics and space. DLR executive board chairman, Prof. Johann-Dietrich Wörner, personally welcomed the Bonn visitor to Oberpfaffenhofen. Mr Scheremet was informed about EOC activities and visited the control rooms for antenna command and the Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI). He was particularly interested in the maritime safety work at IMF and DFD and in the information technology challenges posed by the European Copernicus programme. Dr. Scheremet was accompanied on his visit by Undersecretary Rüdiger Wolf and Mr Wolfgang Schneider of the ministry.