(a)

The EFTA States shall, as from 1 January 2021, participate in the activities which may result from the following Union act and in the European Union Agency for the Space Programme, hereafter referred to as the ‘Agency’, with the exception of the Governmental Satellite Communication (GOVSATCOM) and space situational awareness (SSA) space surveillance and tracking (SST) activities, as set up by the following Union act:

(b)

The EFTA States shall contribute financially to the activities referred to under (a) in accordance with Article 82(1)(a) of and Protocol 32 to the Agreement.

(c)

The financial contribution referred to under (b) shall also cover the cost of the inclusion of the EFTA States in the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) mission and the extension of the EGNOS services coverage to the territories of the participating EFTA States. Such coverage extension shall be subject to technical feasibility and shall not delay the extension of the geographical coverage of the EGNOS system throughout the EU Member States’ territories geographically located in Europe.

(d)

The costs incurred for activities the implementation of which starts after 1 January 2021 may be considered eligible as from the starting date of the action fixed in the grant agreement or the grаnt decision concerned, under the conditions set out therein, provided that Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No 319/2021 of 29 October 2021 enters into force before the end of the action.

(e)

The eligible EFTA States shall participate fully, without the right to vote, in the Administrative Board of the Agency.

(f)

The eligible EFTA States shall participate, without the right to vote, in the Security Accreditation Board of the Agency, for relevant parts of the programme, and their participation shall be restricted in compliance with the need-to-know policy established by the programme.

(g)

The Agency shall have legal personality. It shall enjoy in all the States of the Contracting Parties the most extensive legal capacity accorded to legal persons under their laws.

(h)

The EFTA States shall grant privileges and immunities to the Agency and its staff equivalent to those contained in the Protocol on Privileges and Immunities of the European Union.

(i)

By way of derogation from Articles 12(2)(a) and 82(3)(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, nationals of the EFTA States enjoying their full rights as citizens may be engaged under contract by the Executive Director of the Agency.

(j)

By way of derogation from Articles 12(2)(e), 82(3)(e) and 85(3) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, the languages referred to in Article 129(1) of the Agreement shall be considered by the Agency, in respect of its staff, as languages of the Union referred to in Article 55(1) of the Treaty on European Union.

(k)

By virtue of Article 79(3) of the Agreement, Part VII (Institutional Provisions) of the Agreement, with the exception of Sections 1 and 2 of Chapter 3, shall apply to this paragraph.

(l)

Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents shall, for the application of Regulation (EU) 2021/696, apply to any documents of the Agency regarding the EFTA States as well.

(m)

The eligible EFTA States shall participate fully, without the right to vote, in the Union committees which assist the European Commission in the management, development and implementation of the Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus components and SSA space weather events (SWE) and SSA near-Earth objects (NEO) sub-components of the activities referred to under (a).

The participation in the security configuration of those committees shall be restricted in compliance with the need-to-know policy established by the programme.

(n)

Liechtenstein shall be exempted from the participation in, and the financial contribution to, this programme.

(o)

Iceland shall participate in, and financially contribute to, the following activities of the programme: EGNOS, Copernicus, and the SSA SWE and NEO sub-components.’

’44.

The Security Accreditation Board of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of the European Parliament and of the Council).

45.

The Administrative Board of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of the European Parliament and of the Council).’.