Minister of Science and Education, Prof Radovan Fuchs, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, on 23rd of March 2023 in Paris, signed the European cooperating State Agreement (ECS Agreement) between the Republic of Croatia and the European Space Agency (ESA).
The ECS Agreement enables Croatia to participate in the new ESA programmes and activities and should be complemented within a year by a PECS Charter. The PECS Charter represents a Plan for European Cooperating State and the purpose is to define the terms and conditions of Croatia’s financial contribution in order to allow Croatia to enjoy the benefits of all the rights granted to it in the ECS Agreement
Minister Fuchs emphasized that the new Agreement will enable Croatia to network more easily, use ESA’s programmes and capacities with one goal – boosting the technological, innovation and research capacity through closer cooperation between academia and private sector.
The new Agreement will cover four main categories of activities, in the following six areas: pace science, Earth observation research and applications, Telecommunications, Microgravity research, Ground segment engineering and utilisation and Education and awareness. Joint international space projects will enable active participation of Croatian researchers with the aim of creation new skills and knowledge necessary for the improvement of research and innovation landscape.
Fruitful cooperation between the European Space Agency and the Government of the Republic of Croatia started in 2018 under the Agreement Concerning Space Cooperation for Peaceful Purposes, and the Implementing Arrangement for Technical Assistance and Expertise entered into force in 2020. This new status in ESA will enable Croatia to fulfill its national goals, but it will also affect Croatia's stronger positioning in the field of space and space technologies.
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