Slovakia signs agreement with European Space Agency

The Slovak Republic on Tuesday signed an association agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA). The agreement was signed in the Netherlands by Ľudovít Paulis, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport (MŠVVaŠ). According to Paulis, membership in the ESA will bring Slovakia the opportunity to participate in an increased number of projects, as well as strengthening its research potential and affording new opportunities for Slovak companies. He added that there is a large number of people and projects in Slovakia that have great global potential and can contribute to research in space physics and astronautics. The European Space Agency, which was established in 1975, covers space projects in Europe and involves 22 countries, including Austria and the Czech Republic. The Slovak Republic has been cooperating with the ESA since 2010.