About PECS
Plan for European Cooperating State (PECS) charter is a five-year programme of European Space Agency (ESA) for non-member countries to prepare them for future full membership and allow them to participate in ESA programmes and activities.
In particular, companies from the European Cooperating States (ECS) can bid for and receive contracts to work on almost all programmes, except for the Basic Technology Research Programme. These countries pay also lower membership fees than the full ESA members.
Czech Republic joinend PECS charter in November 2003 by signing the European Cooperating State Agreement (ECSA) between the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and ESA. Coordination of PECS activities at Czech side is delegated to Czech Space Office (CSO).
The current ECS are Hungary (Apr. 2003), Czech Republic, Romania (Feb. 2006) and Poland (Apr. 2007).