Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek signed a set of amendments to Slovenia’s association agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA), which he said meant an important step towards full-fledged membership.
The minister expects cooperation with ESA will deepen further. Slovenia has been an associate member of ESA since 2016 and so far 11 Slovenian companies have signed cooperation contracts with ESA on the basis of the association agreement. Slovenia’s associate membership expires at the end of 2021 and rather than become a full-fledged member after that, Slovenia has opted for an amended association agreement with a so called programme for new member states, with the goal being full membership in 2024.