Slovenia has signed an agreement to become the 23rd member state of the European Space Agency. The country will be the first to join the ranks of ESA member states since Estonia and Hungary in 2015.
In a ceremony that took place at ESA headquarters in Paris on 18 June, Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Robert Golob, and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher signed the Accession Agreement to the ESA Convention. The country will now have to complete the ratification process to officially become the 23rd ESA member state.
“It has been quite an impressive journey since the first Cooperation Agreement concluded 15 years ago,” DG Aschbacher explained in a statement. “This signature is a key milestone not only for Slovenia but also for ESA, which proves to be still attractive, 50 years after its creation, and thanks to the transformation undertaken to adapt it to current expectations and challenges.”
Slovenia’s full membership in ESA will bring with it additional financial obligations from 2025 onwards. The country will be required to contribute a currently unspecified one-off amount in 2025 and increase its annual contributions from €500,000 to approximately €1.7 million per year.
With the additional obligations will come new opportunities, including the chance for Slovenian companies to participate in programmes in which the country’s space sector had previously been unable to do so, such as space science and technology.
The path to full membership
Slovenia began the long journey towards ESA membership in 2006 when a delegation from the country visited the European Space Research & Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands. This initial exchange led to the signing of a Cooperation Agreement with ESA in May 2008. In January 2010, the country signed the European Cooperating State Agreement with ESA, which further strengthened the pair’s cooperation.
In July 2016, Slovenia signed an Association Agreement with ESA that allowed the country to participate in the agency’s optional programmes, which cover areas like Earth observation, telecommunications, satellite navigation, and space transportation. The country was the first to become an Associate Member since Finland in 1986. In 2020, Slovenia signed an upgraded agreement for an enhanced Association.
Following a decision by the Slovenia Government and confirmation from the country’s Foreign Policy Committee, the country announced in April 2024 that it had begun negotiations for full membership.
