09/09/2021 (Agence Europe) – Eutelsat confirmed, on Wednesday 8 September, the closing of its $550 million equity investment in the Indo-British constellation OneWeb. Eutelsat will now own almost 18% of the company. The European Commission was surprised by the announcement at the end of April, given that Eutelsat had been participating in the preliminary studies since December 2020 for the European constellation project for secure connectivity (see EUROPE 12727/11). Furthermore, Eutelsat is a member of the consortium led by Airbus in this field. However, the Commission always includes the terms and conditions relating to conflicts of interest before a contract is signed and monitors its proper execution. The institution is in contact with the consortium, which is contractually obliged to inform the Commission of any potential case of conflict of interest. If necessary, corrective measures can be taken. (PH)