Slovenia signs agreement on full ESA membership

"After this signature, the real work actually begins," Golob said, adding that Slovenia will actively participate and contribute with its know-how, expertise and innovative approaches, the government said in a press release.

"If we want to be globally competitive at EU level, space technology is a key area," the prime minister stressed.

The Slovenian space sector is made up of "brave enthusiasts", according to Minister of Economy, Tourism and Sport Matjaž Han. "I'm confident that we will make the most of our full membership in the ESA and take Slovenia even further into space," said Han, whose portfolio includes the Slovenian Space Office, which has been working for Slovenia's full ESA membership.

The signing of the agreement is a key milestone not only for Slovenia but also for the ESA, which 50 years after its creation has proven to be still attractive, having been restructured to adapt to current expectations and challenges, Aschbacher stressed.

The agreement demonstrates the continued commitment of successive Slovenian governments to space activities. "We are now entering a new era. I wish Slovenia a successful integration into the ESA and the European space supply chain," he said.

Slovenia has been cooperating with the ESA since 2009, when it signed the Plan for European Cooperating State (PECS) with the agency. In mid-2016 it signed its associate membership agreement as a step towards full membership.

Since then, more than 30 Slovenian partners have signed 114 contracts with the agency, worth a total of around EUR 42.1 million. At the same time, the number of companies and institutions registered to win ESA projects has been growing, with more than 100 registered so far.

Last November, the country officially applied for full membership, triggering a one-year period during which ESA working bodies examine whether the candidate meets the conditions.

Slovenia will become a full ESA member when the associate membership agreement expires on 1 January 2025. Golob signed the agreement based on the mandate granted to him by the government on 30 May, the government noted.

Full membership will enable Slovenian companies to take part in programmes which they could not fully join before.

Full membership also means that the country will have to contribute more to the agency's budget as of next year. In 2025, it will pay a one-off sum, the amount of which is still subject to negotiations, and increase its annual payment to mandatory ESA programmes to EUR 1.7 million a year. This will replace the current annual membership fee of EUR 500,000.

The ESA currently has 22 member states, including 20 EU member states plus Norway and Switzerland.