[MrDresden]

ESA is a government run entity and as such definitely needs the public behind it when it comes to funding.

Not realising that would be gross incompetence on their part.

[M2Ys4U]

ESA is an IGO, it's not beholden to any one government, not even the EU (which has their own space agency, EUSPA).

ESA's member states might need to show their publics what they're doing with public money, and they do that, in part, by showing their collaboration with other ESA partners on projects.