The principal decision-making authority of ESA is the Council. Depending on the nature of the decision to be taken, the majority ranges from a simple majority to unanimity, with the agency's budget requiring unanimous approval. The daily operations are under the supervision of a Director General. He is supported by a scientific, technical, administrative and clerical staff. In making decisions, the Council creates rules of international law binding on its members. Such rules can also bind non-member States, if they so agree, and other international organizations. ESA has also been described as a subject of space law, since "in executing its programs and activities, it must comply with the international rules governing space, some of which apply specifically to international organizations." By comparison the socialist bloc space organization, INTERSPUTNIK, was first proposed in 1968. The international agreement creating it was signed on November 15, 1971. The agreement entered into force on July 12, 1972. The formation of INTELSAT also took little time. Following the adoption by Congress in 1962 of the Communications Satellite Act, an International Plenipotentiary Conference on Interim Arrangements for a Global Commercial Communications Satellite System was convened on July 21, 1964. By August 20, 1964, the Agreement on Interim Arrangements had been concluded and signed by 11 States. Within the next few months of Outer Space 21 (1977). See also, N. M. Matte, Aerospace Law, pp. 62-65 (1977). A brief summary of ESRO and ELDO is contained in International Cooperation and Organization for Outer Space, Staff Report, Committee on Aeronatuical and Space Sciences, United States Senate, Doc. No. 56, 89th Cong., 1st Sess., pp. 505-542 (1965). Bour^ly, op. cit., p. 22. 47 UST 701 et. seq.
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