Hungary has joined the European Space Agency as a full member

Hungary has joined the European Space Agency (ESA) as a full member on Tuesday; as a result, scientific and technological development based on space activities can give an impetus to Hungarian space industry said the minister of state for consumer protection at the occasion of the ceremonial signing of the Accession Treaty in Budapest.

Full membership allows Hungarian companies to participate in industrial, educational and scientific programs of ESA so increasing the competitiveness of the Hungarian space sector said the politician.

ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain recalled the successes of more than twenty years of cooperation with Hungary, and emphasized that this partnership now will be raised to a much higher level creating a number of new jobs in the Hungarian space industry.

The ESA president stressed that each member states that joined the organization has one vote. Each member state can participate in the various programs to the extent it contributed to the particular project. The organization also guarantees that the share of contributions will be returned to member states through tenders.