Portugal becomes ESA's 15th Member State On 15 December 1999, Portugal's Minister for Science and Technology, Mr José Mariano Gago, and Mr Antonio Rodotà, the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), sign an Agreement on Portugal's accession to the ESA Convention. This will pave the way for Portugal's ful... On 15 December 1999, Portugal's Minister for Science and Technology, Mr José Mariano Gago, and Mr Antonio Rodotà, the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), sign an Agreement on Portugal's accession to the ESA Convention. This will pave the way for Portugal's full membership of ESA by July 2000. Portugal is already involved in some of ESA's optional programmes in the field of satellite navigation through a bilateral cooperation agreement designed in 1996. It has expressed interest in contributing to activities in the fields of space science, technology and applications (remote sensing and telecommunications in addition to satellite navigation). A cooperation programme in the field of training was also set up in 1998 to host young Portuguese engineers at ESA establishments. ESA's other 14 Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Countries Portugal
