Juan Carlos Cortés elected President of the Council of the European Space Agency (ESA)

The Director of the Spanish Space Agency, Juan Carlos Cortés, has been unanimously elected President of the Council of the European Space Agency (ESA) on 19 March 2026, during the meeting held in Interlaken (Switzerland).
 

Alongside Cortés, the new Council will include Tanja Permozer (Slovenia) and Kimmo Kanto (Finland) as Vice-Presidents. The team will officially assume its duties in July 2026.
 

The presidency of the ESA Council entails leading the organization at a particularly significant time, shaped by a changing geopolitical environment and the growing importance of security and defense in a sector of a dual-use nature. In this context, Europe faces key strategic decisions to maintain its position as a global space power.
 

This appointment coincides with Spain’s strong commitment to the space sector, reflected in the increase of its annual contribution to ESA to €455 million.
 

“Space is essential to citizens’ lives. My intention is to contribute to an increasingly strong European space sector that improves people’s lives and enables us to tackle global challenges such as climate change,” said Juan Carlos Cortés.
 

About the European Space Agency (ESA)

ESA is an international organization dedicated to space exploration, technological development, and Earth observation, with the aim of strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy and delivering benefits to society.