Romania contributes EUR 7.4mln to the European Space Agency budget this year

Newsroom 01/02/2012 | 12:06

As a member of the European Space Agency (ESA), admitted on December 22, 2011, Romania will contribute with EUR 7.4 million this year to the activity of the institution.

“For a country to become member of the European Soace Agency, it must comply with some very high performance parameters,” said Marius-Ioan Piso, president of the Romanian Space Agency during a press conference, quoted by Mediafax newswire.

As a member of the ESA, Romania is both contributor and owner of the ESA infrastructure.

“This contribution is returnable entirely. The contribution of a country to the ESA has two components. One is the compulsory component, which we are paying now. This allows access to the scientific program and the general technology program. On the other hand, access to optional programs is only available for those who have contributed. Normally, the total contribution of a state that is ESA member is 3-4times higher than the compulsory contribution. This means that at some point, Romania should reach approximately EUR 30 million annually,” said Piso.

Otilia Haraga