ESA is physically organised into a number of "centres":
ESA's Headquarters, located in Paris, is where the Director General's office and administrative services are situated. The ESA Council, made up of representatives of the 14 Member States, meets here to decide on matters of policy. The annual budget of ESA is around 2,400 MECU and it has around 1700 permanent international staff, 350 of whom work in Headquarters. More than 80% of ESA's staff are scientists, engineers or technicians.
ESTEC, the European Space Research and Technology Centre, in Noordwijk, The Netherlands, is the Agency's largest establishment. With a staff or around 1000, ESTEC is responsible for the technical preparation and management of ESA projects, as well as development of new technology. It also houses Europe's largest satellite testing facility.
