| Author (Person) | Bower, Helen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Title | In Focus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Details | 28.3.02 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication Date | 30/03/2002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In the future, European citizens will be able to pinpoint their precise location, scientists will be able to track environmental changes, companies will be better equipped to prospect for oil and even financial transactions will be improved. All this will be a result of Galileo, a European satellite radionavigation system, which was given the go ahead by the Council of Transport Ministers, on 26 March 2002. The ministers, following on from the unanimous conclusions of the Barcelona European Council, agreed to provide the €450 million needed to develop Galileo as well as adopting the regulation establishing the joint undertaking responsible for operating it. The decision represents an important step forward in the European Union's involvement in space projects, as summed up by the European Commissioner for Energy and Transport, Loyola de Palacio, who said,
Background
It is a global network of 30 satellites and ground stations that will be run by Europe, which will enable people to ascertain their position to within one metre by using a cheap receiver. The system will mainly be used as a navigational network for planes, ships, cars and lorries, and spacecraft, but it will also be useful in providing surveying references for building bridges, roads and cities, as well as helping scientists to map environmental changes and in the future it may even be used in new personalised services for mobile phone and pocket computer users. The programme was launched on the initiative of the European Commission who presented a proposal on an independent satellite radionavigation programme, to be known as GALILEO, to be developed in four phases: definition in 2000, development by 2005, deployment by 2007 and operation and exploitation after that in a Communication on 10 February 1999 [COM(1999)54]. A further proposal on the joint undertaking of the Galileo programme programme was presented by the European Commission in 2001 [COM(2001)336]
Currently, there are two satellite positioning systems in use - GPS, run by the United States, and Glonass, the Russian network. Supporters of Galileo argue that both these systems have military applications and therefore Europe is not guaranteed an uninterrupted service because military interests could control how the services are used. As states on the European Commission Directorate-General Energy and Transport's website for Galileo,
By developing its own satellite positioning system, Europe would not need to rely on these other systems and since Galileo will be under civilian control, its services would not be disrupted by military interests. Moreover, Galileo will provide much better coverage of Europe than either of the current systems and is likely to create at least 100,000 jobs. However, there also strong cases against the need for Galileo such as the high cost to the taxpayer, - the estimated cost for Galileo is €3 billion - the duplication of existing systems and the perceived few benefits to the consumer. A more detailed discussion about the need for Galileo can be found on the DG's Energy and Transport website. Galileo - Three Phases The European Commission has identified three phases in the Galileo programme: The initial definition phase sought to define the basic elements of the project and led to the publication of a High Level Mission Definition document, which presents a picture of the main characteristics and performance of the Galileo Mission. The development and validation phase, scheduled to last from 2002-2005, will now be able to get underway following the Council's March 2002 decision to support the programme. The first part - the development phase - covers the definition and subsequent manufacture of the various system components: satellites, ground components, user receivers. The validation phase will require the putting into orbit of prototype satellites from 2004 and the creation of a minimal terrestrial infrastructure. The final deployment phase will consist in gradually putting all the operational satellites into orbit from 2006 and in ensuring the full deployment of the ground infrastructure so as to be able to offer an operational service from 2008 onwards. Galileo - Stumbling Blocks The main obstacles to the development of the Galileo programme have been a number of key Member States, namely the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany, who have opposed the programme because of the cost and profitability prospects of the project. A study published in November 2001 by the accountancy firm, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, compounded these doubts as it suggested the programme would cost the public sector €2.5 billion.In the wake of the report, ministers were unable to agree at the Transport/Telecommunications Council in December 2001 to the funding needed. Following on from this government ministers, meeting at the European Council, Laeken, 14-15 December 2001 called for a decision to be reached by the end of March 2002, at which point the parallel funding of €550 million committed by the European Space Agency would expire.As a result, the Galileo programme was the key item on the agenda at the Transport Council on 26 March 2002. However, this time ministers managed to agree on the €450 million - in addition to the €100 million already authorised - which will pay for the next phase of the development programme.It seems that the reason for the go-ahead on this occasion was that the German and UK governments were both prepared to support for the programme for different reasons. The German government agreed in February 2002 to the extra funds as long as extra costs were met from transport and research budgets rather than the general exchequer. While the UK announced that it was satisfied with a compromise that would exclude private companies until after a tendering offer had been put into place at the end of next year. US Opposition to Galileo Although all the key European stakeholders have come round to supporting the project, the United States of America remains strongly opposed to Galileo, fearing that it will not be interoperable with the U.S. Global Positioning System and fear that it may also push the US system out of the European market. On 7 March 2002, these concerns were clearly highlighted in a media report which read,
Since the decision by the Transport Council on the 26 March 2002 the US Mission to the EU has been fast to emphasise that they are keen to work with the Europeans, as emphasised by Richard Boucher in a press briefing on the same day when he said,
However, the decision on Galileo clearly comes at a time when transatlantic tensions are running high following the US imposition of tariffs on steel imports. Galileo - The Future With the funding agreed, the second phase of the Galileo programme can now get underway on schedule. However, it will not be until 2008 when Galileo becomes operational that European Member States will really be able to judge whether the benefits outweigh the initial cost. Some remain to be convinced. The Economist (No.8265, 23.3.02, p39) quotes one critic, Edward Bannerman, of the Centre for European Reform, saying that Galileo is " the common agricultural policy in space". Further information within European Sources Online:
Further information can be seen in these external links: EU Institutions Further and subsequent information on the subject of this In Focus can be found by an 'Advanced Search' in European Sources Online by inserting 'Galileo' in the keyword field. Helen Bower Galileo, a European satellite radionavigation system, was given the go ahead by the Council of Transport Ministers on 26 March 2002 |
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