EU telecommunications ministers reaffirmed their support for glob...
EU telecommunications ministers reaffirmed their support for global satellite navigation system Galileo and said they would decide before year-end how to pay for it. In September, the European Commission (EC) recommended that construction and deployment costs of 2.4 billion…
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euros ($3.4 billion) be financed entirely from public money set aside for farm subsidies, with business picking up the tab for rolling out services later (CD Sept 20 p12). Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot acknowledged the proposal would be a hard sell, and it’s reportedly sparking strong opposition from the U.K., the Netherlands and Germany. In a communique after a meeting Tuesday, Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council members said Galileo remains a key project for the EU. The statement also said another priority is continuing implementation of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, an existing three-satellite network. Ministers noted that the EC’s funding proposal and reconfirmed their intent to make an “integrated” decision on a European Global Navigation Satellite System before the end of the year. Discussions by the Council show that the EC’s work on Galileo has a way to go before approval, said a spokesman for the U.K. Department for Transport.