Brussels, Madrid, 14/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - The European satellite navigation programme Galileo will cost at least double the amount announced by the European Commission (EUR 3.25 billion in total from now until 2008) said the director of the space and technology department of the US administration, Ralph Braibanti. In a video conference with Spanish journalists, he said that the EU investment was pointless since the United States provided GPS services free of charge and they met all current demands, reported the EFE press agency. Arguing that Galileo ran the risk of running counter to GPS users' interests, he called for a common policy principle to be defined between the EU and US, wanting the Commission to provide guarantees that it would not interfere with signals sent by Galileo and GPS. Pointing out that Washington had already expressed doubt about the Galileo project (which is still blocked at Council level by the Netherlands, the UK and Germany - see EUROPE of 19 December). At the Laeken Summit, the EU did no more than agree to agree by March 2002 on the creation of a common enterprise to run the programme, and to agree in June 2002 on how the programme should be continued (see EUROPE of 18 December).