Brussels, 27/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - Germany announced on Wednesday that it agreed to continue with the European Galileo project for satellite navigation. At the next Transport Council on 26 March, Germany will therefore agree to release the EUR 450 million allocation and create a joint enterprise for management of the project (the question of private participation in the undertaking is still to be settled, German sources said). To take this decision, the German government waived its opposition of principle to public financing after the operational launch of the project in 2008. German diplomatic sources say it is now hoped that the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, the two other countries that were most reticent towards the project, will also agree. Bilateral contacts will be carried out along these lines between now and the Transport Council. The attitude of the United States (foreign policy, less strong declarations on the provision of GPs services) is one of the reasons for this change. The Commission welcomes this news.