A formal agreement between ESRO and USSR existed since 1971. It consisted of correspondence between the USSR Academy of Science and the European Space Research Organisation, providing for the exchange of scientific and technical information already published, and for exchange visits of specialists. The execution of joint projects required a special agreement in each specific case.
Relations between Europe and USSR intensified from 1985-86, and an official agreement was signed on 25 April 1990, creating five Working Groups that met once a year: Space Physics, Biology and Medicine, Microgravity, Earth Observation, Space Transportation.
On 25 February 1992, RKA (Russian Space Agency) was created, replacing the different entities that previously acted as partners in space cooperation with Europe (Glavkosmos, Intercosmos, NPO Energia). On 12 October 1992, a joint declaration was signed as new framework agreement to replace that of April 1990. From 1992, cooperation between Europe and Russia increased, with the implementation and execution of joint projects in various fields, such as science of materials, telecommunications, navigation, orbital infrastructures and fluids physics.
A new agreement between ESA and RKA was signed in Moscow on 5 October 1994. In 1995 an ESA office was established in Moscow.

The sub-series contains documents concerning the history of cooperation between ESA and USSR/CIS/Russia, including minutes and protocols of meetings, reports and technical papers, correspondence and documents on various projects and programmes. It includes documents covering the main areas of space cooperation: Earth Observation, Microgravity, Science, Telecommunications and Navigation, Technology and Industry, Space Transportation and Manned Space Flight.

Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish

Electronic File, Photograph, Textual