WRITTEN QUESTION E-0505/03

by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(21 February 2003)

Subject: Assessment of the situation regarding the Galileo project

Following the enthusiastic reaction when the Galileo project was given the green light, there is now concern across the European Union as to whether a genuinely European project such as Galileo will ever see the light of day, and whether the European Union as a whole will be able to benefit from its numerous advantages.

The animosity aroused by the programme's adoption is well known and a degree of suspicion is unavoidable, bearing in mind that tactical ploys are still continuing with the aim of preventing Galileo from becoming a reality.

Can the Commission say whether it is in a position to carry out an assessment of the stage reached regarding the implementation of the Galileo project, and where it sees the greatest difficulties affecting its implementation?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(8 April 2003)

As the Honourable Member says, the hopes engendered by the political agreement reached at the Transport Council of 26 March 2002 on setting up the Joint Undertaking and the green light given to the launch of the development phase have not yet borne fruit because of problems within the European Space Agency concerning the respective financial contributions of its members.

The situation is becoming critical as the Galileo frequencies negotiated within the International Telecommunication Union will be lost if a satellite emitting a Galileo signal is not launched by the end of 2005.

The Commission has therefore taken the steps necessary to get the Joint Undertaking up and running so that it can start to carry out its tasks using the Community funds allocated to it.

This includes:

- Preparing the setting-up of the Joint Undertaking which will supervise the Galileo project during the development phase (until 2005). It has convened the Supervisory Board of the Joint Undertaking on several occasions. The first payments from the Community budget for the years 2001 and 2002, i.e. EUR 240 million of the EUR 550 million set aside for Galileo under the trans-European network budget, have been committed;

- Drawing up the concession arrangements which will result in the launch in 2003 of a call for a concession-holder to be selected in 2004 to manage the programme during the system deployment and commercial operation phases;

- Setting up a Security Committee whose services are currently drawing up the measures needed to set up the Security Board provided for in Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 876/2002(1), which will be responsible for dealing with security matters relating to the Galileo system;

- Making progress in reaching international agreements aimed at ensuring Galileo's interoperability with the American GPS and Russian Glonass systems as well as scientific, technological and industrial cooperation with many third countries, including China, Canada, Australia and the countries of the Mediterranean and Latin America.

The Commission hopes that the agreement concluded on 28 March between Italy and Germany will become effective within the European Space Agency (ASE/ESA) as quickly as possible.

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 876/2002 of 21 May 2002 setting up the Galileo Joint Undertaking OJ L 138, 28.5.2002.