7. člen MPKEVA

1. Ta sporazum se ratificira v skladu z notranjepravnimi predpisi Slovenije. 2. Ta sporazum začne veljati z dnem, ko Slovenija pri Vladi Francoske republike deponira listino o pristopu h konvenciji, in velja, dokler je Slovenija država pogodbenica konvencije. Sestavljeno v Parizu dne 18. junija 2024 v dveh izvodih v slovenskem, angleškem, francoskem in nemškem jeziku, pri čemer so vsa besedila enako verodostojna. The Government of the Republic of Slovenia (hereinafter referred to as "Slovenia"), and the European Space Agency (hereinafter referred to as "the Agency"), an intergovernmental organisation established by the Convention for the Establishment of a European Space Agency, opened for signature in Paris on 30 May 1975 and which entered into force on 30 October 1980 (hereinafter referred to as "the Convention"), hereinafter individually referred to as “Party” and collectively referred to as the “Parties”, RECALLING the European Cooperating State Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the European Space Agency, which was signed on 22 January 2010 and entered into force upon subscription to the Plan for European Cooperating State (PECS) Charter on 30 November 2010; which remained in force until 29 November 2015 and was subsequently extended, by exchange of letters signed on 22 January 2016, until 29 November 2017; RECALLING the Association Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the European Space Agency, which was signed on 5 July 2016 and entered into force on 16 November 2016; RECALLING the reinforced Association Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the European Space Agency, which was signed on 8 and 19 October 2020 and entered into force on 8 December 2020, and which remains in force until 31 December 2024, superseding the initial Association Agreement; NOTING that, according to Article XXII of the Convention, after the entry into force of this Convention, any State may accede thereto following a decision of the Council taken by a unanimous vote of all Member States; CONSIDERING that Slovenia has applied to become a full member of the Agency, and that the Council of the Agency, at its meeting of 25-26 March 2024, has pronounced itself in favour of the accession of Slovenia to the Convention; CONVINCED that this accession will contribute to the achievement of the objectives set out in the Convention; HAVING REGARD in particular to Articles II (Purpose), XIII, Paragraph 4, (Financial Contributions) and XXII (Accession) of the Convention; HAVING REGARD to the Resolution on Industrial Policy Measures to Achieve a Successful Integration of European States in the Frame of ESA, adopted by the Council of the Agency on 13 December 2018; Furthermore, RECALLING the Agreement between the States Parties to the Convention for the establishment of a European Space Agency and the European Space Agency for the protection and the exchange of classified information, which entered into force on 20 June 2003, and in particular Article 11 thereof which provides that the accession thereto by any new State Party to the Convention shall be in accordance with Article XXII of the Convention, and that it shall enter into force in respect of each acceding State thirty days after the day of the deposit of its instrument of accession with the Government of France; HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS: The purpose of this Agreement is to establish the conditions for the accession of Slovenia to the Convention, fulfilment of which makes Slovenia a Member of the Agency and a State Party to the Convention. 1. In accordance with its Article XXI, Paragraph 1, the Convention shall become effective for Slovenia on the date when Slovenia’s instrument of accession is deposited with the Government of the French Republic. Slovenia shall take all necessary steps in order that this occurs before 1 January 2025. Should they not be deposited by this date, the terms and conditions of this Agreement may be renegotiated at the request of either Party. 2. As from the date of accession, the provisions of the Convention, together with all measures taken by the Agency’s Council, shall be binding for Slovenia and shall be applicable to it. Slovenia shall be placed in the same situation as the other Member States regarding decisions, rulings, resolutions or any other acts made by the Agency’s Council or, in delegation therefrom, by any subordinate body of the Agency, and regarding any agreement concluded by the Agency. Slovenia shall consequently abide by the principles and policies stemming therefrom, and shall, whenever necessary, take appropriate measures to ensure their full implementation. 3. Slovenia’s yearly contribution to the mandatory activities for the year of the entry into force of this Agreement will be established according to the rules applicable to Member States of the Agency. It will be reduced for this first year, if applicable, pro rata temporis with regard to the date of entry into force of this Agreement. 4. An amount of 45 % of this contribution, or the pro rata temporis of 0.75 Million Euro, whichever is greater, will be used during the integration period referred to in Article 6 below to prepare the implementation of the measures established thereunder. 5. Slovenia shall take all appropriate measures to a) adapt its internal legislation and rules to the rights and obligations resulting from its accession to the Convention and b) ensure the effective fiscal exemptions granted to Agency, in particular with regard to the Value Added Tax (VAT). In accordance with Article XIII, Paragraph 4, subparagraph a., of the Convention, Slovenia shall make a special payment amounting to 1.7 Million Euro in 2024 economic conditions. Slovenia shall make this payment upon accession to the Convention in one instalment in 2025. As from the date of entry into force of the Convention for Slovenia, the Association Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the European Space Agency, referred to in the preamble, shall cease to be in force. For the purpose of the geographical distribution of Agency’s contracts and within the meaning of Annex V to the Convention, the return coefficients shall be calculated and applied on the basis and following the method in force in the Agency and applicable to all Member States, with the exception of the lower limit for the overall return coefficient and the return coefficient for the Agency's mandatory programmes and activities, as defined in Article V, Paragraph 1, subparagraph a., of the Convention (hereinafter referred to as the "Agency's mandatory activities"), for which the measures referred to in Article 6 below shall apply. The following measures shall apply during an Integration Period of eight years starting on the date of accession of Slovenia: 1. An amount representing a total of 45 % of Slovenia’s contribution to the Agency's mandatory activities each year during the above integration period, or 0.75 Million Euro per year, whichever is greater, shall be used by the Agency, in accordance with its rules and procedures, to finance activities aimed at adapting Slovenia’s industry, operators, scientific community and other actors to the requirements in the Agency’s mandatory activities. 2. The Agency shall make its best efforts to use, in accordance with the rules and procedures applicable to all Member States, the difference between the ideal return for Slovenia’s contribution to the Agency's mandatory activities and the amount referred to in paragraph 1 above, to place contracts in the field of the Agency's mandatory activities. The final objective of the Agency is to reach, at the end of the Integration Period, a return coefficient of at least 0.7 for the Agency’s mandatory activities and an overall return coefficient over the next following full geo-return reporting period at the same level as the one applicable to all Member States. However, no compensation shall be due at the end of the integration period for the return coefficient calculated for the Agency’s mandatory activities, and no further special measures shall be applied during this integration period. 3. For the purpose of implementing the above measures, a dedicated task force shall be established between the Parties for the duration of the Integration Period. The task force shall be composed of representatives of Slovenia and the Agency, respectively, and will be co-chaired by one representative of each Party. The function of this task force shall be to advise the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Director General of the Agency on the implementation of the above-mentioned measures. The task force shall in particular, on the basis of a joint assessment of the Slovenian industrial capabilities, prepare and adapt Slovenian industry, operators, scientific community and other actors to the Agency’s industrial policy requirements and the needs of the Agency’s mandatory activities. 4. The geographical return statistics of Slovenia for the Agency’s mandatory activities shall be discontinued at the end of the Integration Period. As from the first day following the end of the integration period, the overall return coefficient for Slovenia shall be established in accordance with the method in force in the Agency and applicable to all Member States. As a consequence, contributions made and contracts placed before the end of the Integration Period related to the Agency’s mandatory activities shall not be taken into account for the purpose of the calculation of the return coefficient for Slovenia after the end of the Integration Period. 1. The present Agreement shall be subject to ratification in accordance with the internal legal regulations of Slovenia. 2. The present Agreement shall enter into force on the date of the deposit by Slovenia of its instrument of accession to the Convention with the Government of the French Republic and shall be valid for as long as Slovenia remains a State Party to the Convention. Done at Paris on 18 June 2024, in duplicate in the Slovenian, English, French and German languages, all texts being equally authentic.