Read Aloud the Text Content

This audio was created by Woord's Text to Speech service by content creators from all around the world.

Text Content or SSML code:

The Digital Subscription Tool or DST has been developed to digitalise the subscriptions process to ESA optional programmes during the ministerials and inter-ministerial period. The tool replaces the letter-based approach of requesting changes of subscriptions, and transfers, between optional programmes. Letters can still be attached to these changes in case they are required for a delegations-internal processes. The subscription are done on a secure platform, access is given to both the viewer or contributing profile by approval from the Heads of Delegation for each country The access to the DST is reserved to designated individuals from delegations and authorised ESA staff, with different access permissions, or those with a specific action to perform in the approval process. The subscription data will be entered by delegations in their own country page from their own computers and then released by them to ESA. Each delegation will have exclusive access to their own data until their release to ESA. The Digital Subscription Tool (DST) enables Member States delegations to enter and submit to ESA their subscriptions to ESA optional programmes. It also supports the ‘intra ministerial’ processes of tranferring funds between programmes or making new subscriptions. This will reduce the time needed by delegations to prepare letters of transfer and update other integral documents, it will decrease the amount of ‘paper’ circulating, as well as speeding up the process of such changes (e.g., creation of the necessary decision documents). The system also embeds the changes to economic condition in each change making the calculation of different subscriptions easy to follow and eliminating the risk of mistakes. It is recalled that the collection of subscription change requests via the new digital tool will not modify the applicable approval processes set forth in the relevant programme declarations. Subscriptions or transfers which are automatically in force will still not require a vote at PB or board, and those that do will still follow the existing process for approval. This is the high-level optional programme subscription process involving ESA users and the Member State Delegations in Daily Run. MS Delegation are provided with access to the DST with «My Subscriptions» page where they can see for each optional programme the current subscription in force and apply subscription change. When entering subscription change, the change is saved in a dedicated area of the system not visible to the other MS Delegation. Then MS Delegation shall release to ESA their subscription change for review and approval process. In case of programmes subject to decision, the PB Document is generated for discussion at Programme Board. Once the decision is taken at PB, the PB Document final is then stored in esa blue-docs and the approval / rejection of the subscription change is reflected in the DST system from ESA Legal Officers. The Subscription Change page is the main page used by delegation to manage their own subscriptions. This area is restricted to the Member State and other countries can not see the changes until they are released to ESA and approved/rejected (or the decision document has been issued). The MS Subscription page contains three tabs: Subscriptions Transfer Funding Subscription Changes. Programme subscription changes that doesn’t require board decision, are in any case subject to SFC/BUC review and Legal Officer to approve in DST. In this case the In Force date is the date when the Delegation submit to ESA the subscription change request. Programme subscription changes that require board decision, follow the same process in the DST, but of course the Programme Board is involved to take decision in the approval and the In Force date is the date when the Legal Officer approve the subscription change in the DST. It is possible to verify the subscription change approval status in the Subscription Change page. Here are listed the subscription changes from all the delegation, made available once the subscription change are alredy «public»: so once are approved/rejected or the decision document has been issued. At any stage of the process, the DST can provide email notifications on the status of changes to the authorised users of that delegation (such as notifying a completed ESA internal review of requested subscription changes), if they so choose. Notifications can be given also to those who wish to subscribe for that individial process. Contributing to the digitalisation of ESA processes and permitting trend analysis as per Agenda 2025, digitalising subscriptions to ESA programmes brings also a number of benefits to delegations. Scales of contributions are in one common repositor. This means both ESA and participating states can see their entire subscription status to all the optional ongoing programmes. The system also includes an overview of the “declaration-like” tables, both in force or draft, thus information sharing between delegations of different boards (e.g., Programme Board and AFC) is facilitated. Reporting on programmes subscriptions will be made available for any time period. The DST will thus bring efficiency improvements by reducing the necessity of manual (and potentially erroneous) inputs and by allowing delegations to see proposed and in-force changes from themselves and other delegations once approved. Immediate transmission and integration of subscription data will be ensured and consistency of data improved. It reduces the time needed to subscribe to programmes, while creating and updating other official documents and ESA- internal systems. The DST can be accessed through this link: Access is allowed only to appointed individual(s) nominated by their Head of Delegation and according to their role.