Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton has reiterated to Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke the European Commission’s position on the strict framework for participation in the future constellation project for secure connectivity, spokeswoman Sonya Gospodinova told EUROPE on Friday 30 September.
“On secure satellite connectivity, the Commissioner noted Eutelsat’s interest in [joining with the Indo-British competitor, editor’s note] OneWeb, noting that a strict regulatory framework - which the Commission will be responsible for implementing - will apply to any applicant”, she said.
“In general terms, the Commissioner recalled that, given the highly strategic nature of this sovereign constellation for the European Union, no compromise or risk of compromise would be allowed”, she added.
There has been tension between the European Commission and the French satellite operator since the latter announced a merger with the British operator OneWeb. The announcement was surprising, especially as the public investment bank BPI France is a shareholder in Eutelsat (while France supports the European constellation project) (see EUROPE 13000/8).
The Commissioner also spoke about Eutelsat broadcasting pro-Russian channels in Russia, despite European sanctions. Reporters Without Borders had asked the French media regulator Arcom to force the operator to stop broadcasting three Russian channels in Russia: Rossiya 1, Perviy Kanal and NTV. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)