 Israel's special status is the result of its high level of scientific and research capability and the dense network of long-standing relations in scientific and technical co-operation between Israel and the EU.The European Commission signed an agreement with Israel in July 2004 allowing for its participation in the EU's Galileo project for a global navigation satellite system.As of 2014, Israel was a member of the European science organization, CERN, becoming the only non-European member.