Brussels, 10/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 8 June, the European Parliament reiterated its confidence in European satellite radio-navigation (GNSS) via the European programme Galileo, but warned the European Commission of the budgetary challenges attending the project. In its adoption of the report by Vladimír Remek (GUE/NGL, Czech Republic), which welcomes the mid-term review of the European satellite navigation programmes, the EP calls on the Commission to launch the first four satellites (and to establish a clear roadmap for the launch of the remaining 14) to allow Galileo to be up and running by 2014.
The EP stressed the issues of the funding of Galileo which, as a European programme belonging to the Union, should be paid for principally by the budget of the Union. The Parliament therefore suggests that a pre-determined annual amount be provided out of the budget of the Union, and that a “Galileo reserve fund” be set up to pay for any unforeseen additional costs (recently, the Commission estimated that it would take an additional €1.9 billion to reach an operational level by 2018, plus annual funding of €800 million a year from 2014). The report also criticises the figures for the post-2013 period, which the Parliament feels are too indicative. The EP therefore calls upon the Commission to present a more detailed breakdown of the budget by July, to avoid any lack of transparency in the future.
The EP also takes the view that obtaining additional funding goes hand-in-hand with greater awareness-raising amongst decision-makers, investors and the general public to the positive returns, both economic and social, the European Union will benefit from in the long term thanks to the programme (revenue in the region of €80 million a year by 2030). Communication efforts must therefore be made.
The MEPs also reiterate the importance of Galileo at an international level: the EU will gain its independence from the American GPS system and provide a more efficient service. It is also a matter of vital importance for Europe not to allow its Russian, Indian or Japanese competitors to overtake it, and to provide sufficient compatibility and interoperability of the satellite system, to attract the markets of Latin America, south-east Asia and Africa.