Brussels, 08/03/2002 (Agence Europe) - The US government does not see any irrefutable need for the Galileo project as the GPS already meets the needs of users around the world, said the spokesman's service of the US State Department, making further criticism of the European satellite navigation project. While the European Commission has renewed hope that the Galileo project will come about given that Germany no longer voices reticence, the US Department of State press release published on Thursday recalls that the United States, which practically holds a monopoly with its GPS system, views the European system unfavourably. We recall that the European objective is for the Galileo system to be operational in 2008 (a theme that will be discussed in Barcelona). "Should Europe decide to go forward with Galileo, the United States would be interested in cooperation to ensure that Galileo is interoperable with GPs and benefits users on both sides of the Atlantic", states the Department of State. The press release underlines US concerns on this subject, specifying that meetings so far have not really made it possible to ascertain whether there is a sound base for cooperation. The United States expresses concern about the risk that Galileo could confuse GPS signals. The last technical meeting between US and European experts was held in October 2001.
The European Commission answered dryly through the voice of its own spokesperson, saying that it is up to Europeans to decide how useful Galileo is. The EU is determined to carry out this project, he added. The Commission assures it is perfectly ready to cooperate and that it provided the United States with all the information necessary on the technical characteristics of the project several months ago, but has not yet received a response. "We have always said that interoperability is our priority", said the spokesperson for Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio.
There is no danger that the Galileo signals worsen those of the GPS, he added. The Commission has also refuted the US argument in favour of GPS. Even though the USA claims that their signals are of a very high quality and are going to be further improved, the Commission has stated that this quality will remain inferior to that of Galileo when it is launched. The USA has written explaining that it has never reserved the right to interupt signals during a conflict. The Commission is adamant that this was done during the Gulf War conflict.
Since Germany no longer has any reservations (EUROPE 28 February), the Commission and the countries in favour of the project hope that it can be definitively launched at the Transport Council on 26 March. The qualified majority required was obtained, they state categorically. If the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have quashed their opposition in the meantime, the Barcelona Summit should be able to obtain an agreement, but we're not quite there yet. The Belgian Senate will hold a seminar on 12 March on "Galileo", at which the Director of the European Space Programme will attend, as well as business leaders and EU MEPs. Tel: +32.2.501.7337…