ESA Center in Poland? Domański: The decision will be made soon

The decision on the selection of the city in Poland where the ESA center will be established will be announced by the end of May, announced Minister of Finance Andrzej Domański in an interview for Tuesday's “Rzeczpospolita”. He said that if the schedule is maintained, the center could start operating in mid-2027.

The head of the Ministry of Finance was asked about the schedule of work on the project to build a European Space Agency (ESA) center in Poland. Domański informed that talks and negotiations are currently underway between the Ministry of Development and Technology and ESA, mainly regarding the scope of the center's activities, its role in the agency's structure and financial and location issues. – We assume that the negotiation stage will be completed in the middle of this year – he said. He added that if the schedule is maintained, the center could start operating in mid-2027.

When asked about the estimated costs of construction and maintenance of the center, Domański explained that they would depend on the scope of the center's operation. At the same time, he emphasized that the center's financing model will be similar to the solutions operating in other countries hosting the agency, which in practice means sharing the financial burden between the government and ESA. – Location also remains an important cost factor – added the head of the Ministry of Finance.

The Minister of Finance emphasized that the choice of location is a joint decision of Poland and ESA. He informed that a special inter-ministerial team convened by him last week discussed the criteria that cities applying for the center must meet. As Domański explained, these criteria “cover only infrastructure and business issues, but also scientific ones.” – The decision on the selection will be announced by the end of May – announced the head of the Ministry of Finance.

Domański also said that direct participation of private capital is not envisaged in the financing of the center itself. – However, market experience shows that this type of investments attract private capital indirectly – he emphasized. (PAP)

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