Brussels, 26 Mar 2004
Luxembourg and Greece have become the last two EU Member States to join the European Space Agency (ESA).
During a meeting on 24 and 25 March, the ESA Council approved the accession of Luxembourg and Greece to the ESA Convention. Both countries are expected to become full members by 1 December 2005 after national approval procedures have been completed.
In the meantime, both Greece and Luxembourg have been granted observer status to attend meetings of the ESA Council and its subordinate bodies, enabling them to become familiar with the agency's procedures and working practices.
The accession will bring the number of ESA members to 17. Switzerland and Norway are also members, while Canada is a cooperating country.
For further information on ESA, please consult the following web address:
http://www.esa.int
Item source: http://dbs.cordis.lu/cgi-bin/srchidadb?C ALLER=NHP_EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN= EN_RCN_ID:21803