The European Union is moving towards taking over a planned satellite navigation project, EU officials signalled Monday, blaming industry for failing to fulfil agreed conditions. "The alternative solution (to the project) that we will present foresees a stronger participation of the public sector," German Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee, whose country currently runs the rotating EU presidency, told reporters in Brussels. A spokesman for the European Commission said current scenarios to get Europe's planned satellite navigation system Galileo started "cannot work ... the way we scheduled and the way we wanted." The private sector was expected to provide two-thirds of the funding for Galileo and EU governments the rest. But the commission spokesman said that up to now, the eight European companies tasked with running the system had failed to fulfil the conditions agreed. He said there was a "need to reshape" the prestigious project, which is aimed at ensuring European economies' independence from other states' technology, in particular the United States-run global positioning system GPS. "We want to have the best value for money," the spokesman said.
The commission earlier this year gave industry until May 10 to arrange how to divide work on building and running the satellite system, amid concerns that Europe could lose out against competitors such as the US, Russia and China.
EU transport commissioner Jacques Barrot on May 16 is expected to present alternative solutions for solving the standstill with Galileo, which is the 27-member bloc's biggest ever joint technological project. Galileo, which is supposed to be launched and operational in orbit by 2011, would be used for civilian purposes only, monitoring natural disasters, air and sea rescue services and for commercial uses. There were originally to be 30 satellites in place by 2010, but the timeline for Galileo to be fully operational was moved to 2011- 2012 due to little progress made by industry.
EU officials have warned that the bloc could lose out in the international competition in global space technology as the US, Russia, China and Japan are busy building and improving their satellite navigation technology. The GPS system - run by the US Defence Department - is offered free to businesses worldwide, while Galileo plans to charge users. Galileo's consortium includes European aerospace company EADS, France's Thales and Alcatel-Lucent, British company Inmarsat, Italy's Finmeccanica, AENA and Hispasat of Spain and a German group that includes Deutsche Telekom and the German Aerospace Centre.
The EU hopes that Galileo will generate at least 150,000 jobs and bring a return of investments of up to 9 billion euros (11.9 billion dollars), making it the continent's most lucrative infrastructure project.
| Is it a navigation system or a employment agency? It's Europe; never mind. |
| They're going to charge for something the U.S. gives away free. I think I've found a new use for the 'flying turkey' pic. |