After many years of cooperation resulting in great success we can finally declare that Hungary is now a full member of the ESA and is ready to take advantage of the opportunities efficiently – Deputy State Secretary for Info-communication at the Ministry of National Development Károly Balázs Solymár said at the formal accession ceremony on 24 November 2015 at the Embassy of Hungary in Paris.
This moment can be considered a milestone regarding the decade-long partnership of the ESA and Hungary. As a full member country of the ESA, Hungary will take an active part in shaping the future of European space operations– stated Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Director–General of the European Space Agency at the accession ceremony. The host of the event, Ambassador György Károlyi added – The openness, the scientific and industrial achievements of the ESA constitute a guarantee for a well-established cooperation for Hungary.
The Hungarian Parliament adopted the three laws required for the publication of the international agreement in October unanimously. Finally, full membership entered into force in early November when the Instrument of Accession ratified by János Áder, President of Hungary, was deposited with the French Government.
The official ESA membership places the national space industry onto new foundations, which is already achieving great success on the global high-tech market. The ESA, now having 22 members with the accession of Hungary, manage large-scale projects, which none of the member states would be able to accomplish alone. Hungary concluded 125 contracts with the organisation in the last 12 years as a cooperative member state of the ESA. More than fifty domestic small and medium-sized enterprises, research institutes and universities participate in ESA projects, and almost 100 instruments developed by Hungarians have entered space. Their achievements are utilised in vital areas determining international competitiveness, such as satellite earth observation, medicine, and navigation applications. Full membership makes possible the involvement and industrial supply of Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprises, universities and academic research institutes in the projects. It increases employment and helps to convince highly-skilled teams of professionals to stay in Hungary.