At the last meeting of the Aurora Board of Participants, held at ESA’s Paris headquarters on Thursday 8 July 2004, the participating states approved the Preparatory Phase of the European Space Exploration Programme (ESEP). Revising the original Declaration, the European countries already participating, plus Canada, unanimously agreed to remodel Aurora into a broader preparatory ESEP. This is with a view to possibly increasing their subscriptions and welcoming further participants, including the European Union, in accordance with the signed Framework Agreement.